H  E  R  i  T  A 
C  OLL E  C 


M  CM  XI II 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/ritalydigcollectOOvale 


OF  THIS  BOOK 
ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIX  COPIES  HAVE 
BEEN    PRINTED    UPON    HAND  MADE 
PAPER  AND  THIRTY  COPIES  UPON 
IMPERIAL  JAPAN   PAPER  FOR 
PRIVATE  DISTRIBUTION 


THE  RITA  LYDIG 
COLLECTION 


CATALOGUED  BY 
WILHELM  R.  VALENTINER 

WITH  THE  ASSISTANCE  OF  DURR  FRIEDLEY 


NEW  YORK 
PRIVATELY  PRINTED 
MCMX1I1 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction   vii 

Italian  Paintings   i 

Dutch  Paintings   1 1 

Spanish  Paintings   15 

Italian  Sculptures:  Marble,  Terracotta  and  Stucco  .     .  .19 

Italian  Sculptures:  Bronze   31 

German  Sculptures   45 

French  Sculptures   47 

Goldsmiths'  Work   59 

Ceramics   65 

Furniture   75 

Tapestries   93 

Rugs   99 

Textiles  and  Embroideries   105 


V 


Mi**:'  ■ 

|  UBRA 


INTRODUCTION 


LOGGIA 


RS.  LYDIG'S  HOUSE  should  live  in  the  memory  of 


those  who  were  familiar  with  it  as  a  completely  suc- 


1  T  A  cessful  example  of  a  Renaissance  scheme  of  decoration. 
Distinguished  interiors  in  this  mode  are  unusual,  since  only  un- 
erring taste  can  bring  the  severity  of  the  style  into  harmonious 
relation  with  our  modern  demand  for  comfort.  Eighteenth 
century  art — particularly  of  the  French  type — is  now  generally 
more  popular  than  any  other,  and  English  decorative  art  being 
perhaps  more  in  accord  with  the  traditions  of  this  country,  fur- 
nishings in  either  of  these  two  styles  are  comparatively  easily 
collected  and  arranged.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that 
nothing  yields  a  more  splendid  and  dignified  result  than  a  well- 
chosen  arrangement  in  the  manner  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 
The  architect  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  house,  Stanford  White,  and  other 
representatives  of  the  school  which  he  may  be  said  to  have 
founded,  have  notably  stimulated  interest  in  this  particular  style, 
and  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  home  we  see  the  beautifully  proportioned 
rooms  which  we  have  learned  to  look  for  in  all  the  buildings  which 
Stanford  White  planned.  In  this  case,  however,  he  was  not 
the  designer  of  the  interior  decoration  and  furnishing,  and  one 
asks  oneself  whether  the  result  is  not  better  than  in  other  houses 
where  he  was  entirely  responsible  for  every  detail,  within  and 
without.  In  some  of  his  interior  installations  original  pieces  and 
copies  were  combined  in  a  confusing  fashion,  which  often  made 
it  difficult  to  distinguish  between  the  old  and  new,  the  true 
and  the  false.  Modern  additions  were  made  to  antique  fragments 
in  a  clever  but  almost  barbaric  way,  and  the  resulting  piece  put 


IX 


INTRODUCTION 

to  uses  quite  different  from  that  for  which  it  was  originally  de- 
signed, while  imposing,  if  somewhat  specious  effects,  were  ob- 
tained through  the  use  of  an  abundance  of  these  splendid  and 
showy  decorative  pieces. 

In  contrast  to  this,  a  much  finer  result  has  been  obtained,  in 
the  arrangement  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  house,  through  a  conception 
which  relies  less  for  its  effect  upon  a  multitude  of  objects,  than 
upon  the  accentuation  of  a  few  cleverly  distributed  masterpieces 
in  appropriate  surroundings.  While  the  charming  boudoir  on 
the  third  floor  is  furnished  in  the  fashion  prevalent  in  France  in 
the  later  eighteenth  century,  both  the  lower  stories  of  the  house 
are  arranged  in  the  manner  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  and  can 
hardly  be  surpassed  as  a  remarkable  example  of  the  possibilities 
of  that  style. 

There  is  nowhere  a  lack  or  a  superabundance.  The  decorations 
of  the  admirably  proportioned  rooms  are  applied  with  a  sparing 
hand,  and  each  object  is  so  displayed  as  to  yield  its  full  decorative 
value,  an  effect  which  is  all  the  more  praiseworthy  in  that  each 
and  every  piece  merits  individual  attention,  the  distinguished  im- 
pression of  the  whole  having  been  achieved  by  an  assemblage  of 
the  choicest  original  pieces.  Then,  too,  each  object  is  appro- 
priate to  the  position  it  occupies,  blending  as  naturally  and  har- 
moniously with  its  surroundings  as  though  originally  destined 
for  that  place.  No  modern  furnishings,  unknown  during  the  days 
of  the  Renaissance,  have  been  put  together  from  fragments  be- 
longing to  that  period.  There  are  no  bookcases  made  out  of 
choir  stalls,  as  have  been  seen  elsewhere,  those  in  this  house 
being  on  simple  modern  lines,  while  the  comfortable  sofas  and 
chairs  make  no  effort  to  masquerade  as  ancient  furniture,  although 
their  modernity  is  minimized  by  covers  of  antique  damask. 
This  combination  of  good  originals  with  sensible  modern  furnish- 
ings, whose  purpose  is  nowise  concealed,  is  the  only  possible 

X 


INTRODUCTION 

arrangement  for  an  interior  in  an  ancient  style;  for  nothing  so 
offends  a  just  taste  as  the  simulation  of  antiques. 

PAINTINGS 

Proper  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  a  house  must  not  mas- 
querade as  a  museum  demands  the  subordination  of  pictures  to 
purely  decorative  purposes— to  relieve  flat  surfaces  and  to  lend 
variety  to  the  assemblage  of  sculptured  objects.    All  told,  there 
are  not  more  than  a  dozen  paintings  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection 
— all  pictures  of  strongly  decorative  character,  as,  for  instance, 
the  portrait  by  Coello,  and  the  early  Italian  pictures,  each  of 
which  is  none  the  less  of  individual  artistic  merit. 
The  Botticelli  Venus  is  the  most  remarkable  of  the  early  Ital- 
ian paintings.    The  statuesque  figure  stands  out  against  a  black 
background,  and  its  charming  and  finished  contours,  its  largely 
planned  lines,  the  delightful  play  of  the  scarf  which  ripples  down- 
ward like  narrow  lines  of  water  to  divide  on  the  earth,  its  fantastic, 
yet  realistic  conception— these  combined  qualities  are  all  charac- 
teristic of  the  genius  of  the  great  Florentine. 
In  contrast  to  the  severity  of  Botticelli's  style,  the  three  Sienese 
Madonnas  seem  full  of  that  intimate  sweetness  and  lyric  feeling 
which  distinguished  the  Sienese  art  of  the  period.   Here,  too,  the 
conception  is  simple  and  pre-eminently  decorative,  relying  chiefly 
for  its  effect,  however,  on  small  ornamental  details  in  which  bright 
colors  and  gold  ornamentation  play  a  prominent  role.  Compared 
to  the  fifteenth  century  Florentines,  the  Sienese  of  the  period 
were  conservative  to  a  degree,  and  were  still  to  a  great  extent 
dominated  by  the  Byzantine  ideas  of  the  Trecento,  notably  in 
their  almost  invariable  use  of  a  gold  background.    Their  most 
remarkable  works  are  portrayals  of  the  Madonna. 
The  oldest  of  the  three  pictures,  the  Madonna  Enthroned  by 
Sano  di  Pietro,  still  displays  much  of  the  splendid  churchly  style 

xi 


INTRODUCTION 

of  the  Majestas  pictures  of  the  Trecento,  but  certain  details— the 
shy  expression  of  the  Child,  and  the  cherub  heads  with  their 
bright  wings— point  to  the  more  human  feeling  of  a  later  period. 
Matteo  di  Giovanni's  Madonna  with  Two  Saints  is  already  more 
realistic,  more  genre-like  in  conception,  and  evinces  a  tenderer 
and  more  pleasing  sentiment,  especially  in  the  rendering  of  the 
female  heads.  The  little  picture  by  Neroccio  di  Bartolommeo, 
however,  must  be  rated  as  one  of  the  fairest  flowers  in  Siena's  lyric 
garden.  The  Madonna  is  designedly  archaic  in  type,  shielding 
her  mood  of  melancholy  beneath  a  veil  of  churchly  dignity,  while 
the  little  fair,  curly  head  which  presses  close  to  her  is  full  of  natural 
and  naive  feeling.  Both  figures  are  painted  with  clear  transpar- 
ent technique,  and  surrounded  by  glowing,  golden  decorations. 
One  cannot  conceive  of  these  Sienese  paintings  without  their 
original  frames,  which  in  the  truly  decorative  spirit  of  the  period 
were  designed  simultaneously  with  the  picture.  Fortunately  in 
the  case  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  three  pictures,  these  original  frames  have 
been  preserved. 

The  two  sketches  by  Tintoretto  introduce  us  to  quite  another 
world.  There  is  no  trace  here  of  the  mediaeval  Gothic  spirit  which 
pervades  the  foregoing  pictures.  We  are  transported  to  the 
Middle  Renaissance— to  the  beginning  of  that  modern  period 
which  exalts  the  personality  of  the  painter.  Every  brush-stroke 
counts  and  expresses  the  artist's  joy  in  achievement,  in  the 
rendering  of  fleeting,  picturesque  impressions,  and  in  the  gleam- 
ing play  of  light,  in  a  manner  unknown  to  the  linear  art  of  the 
Botticelli  period.  These  sketches  are  thrown  on  to  the  canvas 
with  astounding  sureness  and  remarkably  modern  feeling.  See- 
ing them,  we  no  longer  wonder  that  Greco,  that  most  modern 
among  the  Old  Masters,  found  in  Tintoretto  the  source  of  his  in- 
spiration. Mrs.  Lydig's  small  painting  by  this  ascetic  Spaniard 
represents  a  passionate,  sincerely  devoted  monk  in  prayer,  most 

xii 


INTRODUCTION 

probably  St.  Francis.  It  is  a  remarkable  work  of  fervent  feeling, 
painted  brilliantly  and  nervously  in  an  almost  modern  technique,' 
but  filled  with  a  religious  glow  found  only  in  the  Jesuits  of  the 
great  time  of  Loyola.  The  painting  is  framed  in  a  splendid  and 
richly  carved  frame  of  old  Spanish  workmanship. 


DINING  ROOM 


Dutch  Renaissance  art  is  represented  by  two  masterpieces 
from  the  hand  of  Antonio  Moro,  the  greatest  portrait  painter  of 
this  period  in  Holland.  Measured  by  the  scope  of  other  Northern 
Renaissance  masters,  his  art  had  international  merits  and  reached 
out  far  beyond  the  narrow  confines  of  the  primitives.  He  studied 
in  Italy,  where  he  felt  the  influence  of  Titian,  lived  now  in  Hol- 
land, now  in  Belgium,  went  with  the  Spanish  court  to  Madrid 
and  Lisbon,  spent  a  short  time  in  London,  and  finally  returned 
to  the  Netherlands.   His  work  always  displays,  however,  a  typi- 


XIII 


INTRODUCTION 

cal  Dutch  earnestness  and  Northern  depth  of  conception  together 
with  a  capacity  for  intensive  character  delineation  which  stamp 
him  as  one  of  Rembrandt's  greatest  predecessors. 
The  portrayal  of  mere  feminine  beauty  lay  little  within  the  scope 
of  his  art,  and  his  women,  though  always  distinguished  and  splen- 
did looking,  are  hard-featured  and  of  a  certain  regal  aloofness. 
In  the  two  portraits  of  a  man  and  wife,  owned  by  Mrs.  Lydig, 
the  tense,  penetrating  expression  of  the  masculine  head  renders 
it  easily  the  more  striking  picture.    The  face,  seen  half  in  pro- 
file, with  eyes  looking  seriously  toward  the  spectator,  and  the 
wrinkled  forehead,  all  betoken  a  gloomy,  troubled  nature,  of 
which  the  gesture  toward  the  skull,  on  which  his  right  hand 
rests,  seems  peculiarly  illustrative.    The  dark  hair,  low  forehead 
and  thick  lips  suggest  a  Southerner,  possibly  a  Spaniard.  The 
woman's  costume,  too,  would  negative  any  suggestion  of  Dutch 
nationality,  while  her  splendid  ornaments  intimate  the  pair  to 
have  been  persons  of  distinction.    The  painting  of  her  costume, 
of  the  fur,  the  red-brown  velvet  and  the  light  brocade  of  her 
underskirt  and  embroidered  sleeves  is  masterly.  The  firm,  some- 
what solid  technique  and  the  clearly  defined  outlines  are  remi- 
niscent of  the  primitive  masters,  but  the  whole  picture  is  already 
steeped  in  a  warm  brown  atmosphere  indicative  of  the  coming 
Rembrandt.    Both  portraits  are  in  the  same  manner  as  the  por- 
traits of  Antoine  de  Rio  and  his  wife,  Eleanor  Lopez,  in  the 
Louvre,  to  which  they  are  no  whit  inferior,  and  like  them  were 
probably  painted  in  the  sixties  of  the  sixteenth  century.    At  the 
time  of  the  publication  of  Hymans'  admirable  book  (Antonio 
Moro,  son  oeuvre  et  son  temps,  Bruxelles,  1910)  these  pictures 
were  still  undiscovered  in  private  possession  in  England. 
Moro's  works  were  particularly  treasured  in  Spain,  and  his  in- 
fluence on  Spanish  art  was  lasting.    Alonso  Sanchez  Coello,  his 
most  distinguished  pupil,  succeeded  him  as  Court  Painter,  and 


INTRODUCTION 

bequeathed  his  conception— transposed  to  a  Spanish  rigidity— to 
the  Velasquez  period.  The  Portrait  of  a  Lady,  the  so-called 
"Girl  in  Red,"  is  undoubtedly  one  of  his  finest  works.  The 
large  orange  and  red  surfaces  of  the  gold-embroidered  costume 
are  highly  decorative,  and  the  contrast  between  the  pretty, 
childish  face,  and  the  stiff  costume  in  which  it  is  almost  buried 
is  not  without  a  certain  naive  charm. 

The  long  duration  in  Spanish  portraiture  of  this  pose — one 
hand  resting  on  a  table,  the  other  hanging  loosely  beside  the 
body — a  pose  introduced  in  all  likelihood  by  Moro — is  proved  by 
the  charming  portrait  by  Mazo  of  the  Infanta  Margarita,  her  atti- 
tude being  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  "Girl  in  Red."  The 
technique  of  the  two  pictures,  however,  is  widely  different.  In 
the  latter  painting  it  is  far  more  free,  and  is  reminiscent  of  Velas- 
quez, in  whose  great  art  Moro's  intensely  realistic  conception  of 
character,  and  the  splendid,  easy  technique  imported  by  Greco 
from  the  Venetian  School,  combined  to  create  something  incom- 
parably new.  The  portrait  is  painted  with  brilliant,  swift  brush- 
work.  The  hair  gleams  in  the  light,  the  silken  costume  shim- 
mers, and  the  whole  figure  is  enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  not 
found  in  the  paintings  of  the  earlier  masters  such  as  Coello  and 
Moro.  In  characterization,  moreover,  and  true,  unostentatious 
delineation  of  the  childish  figure,  it  is  in  no  wise  inferior  to  the 
works  of  these  older  masters.  This  picture  is  so  closely  related 
to  the  art  of  Velasquez  that  only  the  critical  eye  of  a  great 
authority  on  Spanish  Art,  such  as  Berruete,  could  distinguish  it 
from  that  master's  own  portraits  of  this  Princess  in  the  Hofmu- 
seum  at  Vienna  and  in  the  Louvre.  As  far  as  I  know  there  is  no 
replica  of  this  painting,  which  in  point  of  date  comes  between 
the  two  above-mentioned  portraits  of  the  Princess,  which  por- 
tray her  respectively  at  earlier  and  later  stages  of  her  career. 
Our  picture  is,  without  a  doubt,  a  product  of  the  Master's  atelier, 

XV 


INTRODUCTION 

and  Berruete,  as  in  the  case  of  most  paintings  closely  allied  to 
Velasquez'  style,  ascribes  it  to  his  son-in-law,  Mazo. 

SCULPTURES 

The  charming  wood-carving  of  King  Clotaire,  which  originally 
formed  part  of  an  altar-piece  dedicated  to  St.  Eloi,  still  in  its 
original  environment  at  Recloses  in  the  province  of  Seine-et- 
Marne,  is  a  late  Gothic  production  from  the  North  of  France — 
that  last  stronghold  of  the  Gothic  style — near  the  boundary  of 
Flanders.  Our  portion  of  the  altar-piece  depicts  King  Clotaire, 
with  a  companion,  admiring  a  golden  saddle  fashioned  by  St. 
Eloi  and  his  assistant,  these  last  figures  of  which  (combined 
with  Mrs.  Lydig's  group)  there  are  casts  in  the  Trocadero, 
being  still  in  place  at  Recloses.  The  distinguished,  sharply  cut 
features  of  the  King  and  of  the  man  standing  behind  him,  the 
rhythmic  play  of  line  in  the  folds  of  their  garments,  and  the  deli- 
cate coloring  which  is  well  preserved  in  the  faces  and  on  part 
of  the  costumes,  are  all  characteristic  of  the  pleasing  conception 
of  a  Northern  French  artist  who  combined  beauty  of  form  with 
the  powerful  Flemish  style  with  which  he  was  imbued. 
While  the  long-drawn  figures  and  beautiful  sweeping  lines  of 
this  group  still  display  the  Gothic  conception,  the  influence  of 
the  Southern  Renaissance  is  already  visible  in  the  solidly  built, 
strongly  set-up  figures  of  two  Saints  carved  in  limestone.  These 
statues  are  of  the  School  of  Michel  Colombe,  sculptor  of  the 
splendid  tomb  of  Francis  II  at  Nantes.  They  are  monumental, 
dignified  and  harmoniously  balanced,  the  while  preserving  that 
friendly  expressiveness  and  subtlety  of  line  which  are  character- 
istic of  French  sculpture. 

In  contrast  to  this  group,  the  two  little  boxwood  figures  of 
Adam  and  Eve — representative  of  the  beginning  of  portraying 
the  nude  in  Northern  sculpture — seem  clumsy  and  ill-propor- 

xvi 


INTRODUCTION 

tioned.  They  have  weakly,  almost  impossible  limbs,  over-large 
heads  and  hands,  and  testify  how  little  at  home  the  Northern 
artists  were  as  yet  in  the  portrayal  of  the  nude  in  sculpture  after 
the  self-conscious  shyness  of  the  middle  ages.  And  yet  these 
little  figures  have  a  charm  all  their  own  and  peculiar  to  the  best 


DRAWING  ROOM 


miniature  wood-carvings — a  form  of  art  in  which  the  German 
sculptors  of  the  period  took  especial  delight.  Their  action  is  so 
emphatic,  they  are  so  quaintly  adorned  and  so  expressive  of 
countenance,  that  in  their  own  way  we  find  them  as  enjoyable 
as  the  more  finished  French  sculptures.  Early  German  boxwood 
figures — ours  date  from  about  1520 — are  extremely  rare.  Very 
similar  statuettes  of  Adam  and  Eve,  justly  ascribed  to  Konrad 
Meit  of  Worms,  are  to  be  found  in  the  Hofmuseum  at  Vienna, 
and  in  Gotha.    Meit  was  the  noted  Court  Sculptor  of  the  Regent 


XVll 


INTRODUCTION 

of  the  Netherlands,  Margaret  of  Austria,  in  Brussels,  and  his  mar- 
ble tomb  of  Philip  Le  Bel  and  Margaret  at  Brou,  his  sandstone 
portrait  busts  of  Margaret  and  other  notabilities,  and  his  little  box- 
wood figures  are  among  the  masterpieces  of  German  sculpture. 
Our  little  statuettes  approach  the  work  of  this  master  in  quality, 
and  are  possibly  the  product  of  his  atelier. 
In  a  house  furnished  in  the  manner  of  the  Italian  Renaissance, 
Italian  sculpture  naturally  occupies  a  most  prominent  place,  and 
among  the  large  sculptured  pieces — reliefs  in  marble,  terracotta 
and  stucco— Florentine  art  deservedly  occupies  the  front  rank. 
The  earliest  composition  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  is  a  stucco 
relief  of  the  Madonna  with  the  Child,  whose  arms  are  thrown 
around  his  mother's  neck.  It  is  in  the  manner  of  the  so-called 
Master  of  the  Pellegrini  Chapel,  the  precursor  in  Florence  of 
early  Renaissance  terracotta  sculpture,  whose  charming  compo- 
sitions, especially  his  genre-like  representations  of  religious  sub- 
jects, greatly  influenced  his  successors,  particularly  Luca  della 
Robbia.  Stucco  reliefs,  subsequently  colored,  in  imitation  of 
celebrated  marble  or  terracotta  reliefs  from  churches,  were 
frequently  produced  in  Italy  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies for  household  decoration,  and  these  reliefs  are  the  more 
interesting  to  us  in  that  they  oftentimes  reproduce  lost  originals. 
They  are  the  casts  of  the  period  and  have  far  more  artistic  worth 
than  our  modern  plaster  casts,  in  that  the  coloring,  and  frequently 
the  frame,  were  original  additions  made  by  the  copyist.  The 
stucco  relief  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection, 
after  a  composition  by  Luca  della  Robbia,  is  an  instructive  ex- 
ample of  this  type  of  work.  The  original  frame  with  Putti, 
which  is  in  one  piece  with  the  relief,  enables  us  to  date  this  work 
about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century — a  proof  of  the  endur- 
ing popularity  of  stucco  reproductions  of  Quattrocento  originals. 
The  three  original  pieces  from  the  della  Robbia  atelier— the  Ma- 

xviii 


INTRODUCTION 

donna  with  the  Child,  from  the  Lanna  Collection;  the  Madonna 
Adoring  the  Child,  from  the  Molinier  Collection;  and  the  Ma- 
donna Suckling  the  Child— are,  however,  of  vastly  superior 
artistic  merit.  Full  justice  has  been  done  to  these  reliefs  by 
Allan  Marquand  in  his  book  "Delia  Robbiasin  America."  These 
Robbia  reliefs  bring  us  to  the  Golden  Age  of  Florentine  sculp- 
ture, when  Donatello's  gifted  followers,  Desiderio  da  Settignano, 
Antonio  Rossellino,  Benedetto  da  Majano  and  Mino  da  Fiesole 
created  their  ravishing  masterpieces.  Our  reliefs,  especially  that 
of  the  Madonna  Adoring  the  Child,  from  the  Lanna  Collection, 
and  that  of  the  Madonna  with  the  Lilies,  may  be  classed  with 
their  portrayals  of  the  relationship  of  Mother  and  Child,  which 
in  charm  and  natural  feeling  are  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of 
sculpture.  The  familiar,  intimate  character  of  Florentine  art 
during  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century  is  exemplified  in 
these  Madonnas,  who  are  only  lovely  young  Italian  women, 
simple  and  warm-hearted,  clasping  proudly  to  their  breasts  their 
sturdy,  smiling  children.  This  distinguishing  simplicity  lends  a 
special  grace  to  the  children,  and  the  peculiar  charm  of  child- 
hood, at  all  times  so  difficult  to  capture,  has  in  no  domain  of  art 
been  more  successfully  represented.  But  for  the  distinguishing 
halo,  it  would  hardly  occur  to  us  that  these  are  sacred  images. 
The  relief  from  the  Lanna  Collection  attributed  to  Andrea  della 
Robbia,  has  a  close  resemblance  to  the  work  of  Benedetto  da 
Majano,  as  is  justly  pointed  out  by  Professor  Marquand,  and  it  is 
not  impossible  that  a  sculptor  of  the  high  rank  of  Benedetto  but 
able  to  work  only  in  terracotta  or  marble  had  sent  his  relief  to 
the  Della  Robbia  atelier  to  receive  its  glaze;  for,  just  as  in  the 
case  of  ceramics,  the  glaze  was  sometimes  added  to  a  terracotta 
sculpture  in  a  studio  other  than  that  in  which  the  piece  was  ex- 
ecuted. The  Madonna  Suckling  the  Child  bears  more  resem- 
blance to  the  style  of  Antonio  Rossellino,  and  is  undoubtedly,  as 

xix 


INTRODUCTION 

suggested  by  Professor  Marquand,  the  work  of  the  same  hand  as 
that  which  created  the  well-known  Robbia  relief  from  the  Hain- 
auer  Collection,  now  owned  by  Charles  P.  Taft,  Esq.  Here  in 
America  one  is  too  prone  to  undervalue  glazed  reliefs  which 
cannot  be  ascribed  with  certainty  to  Luca,  Andrea  or  Giovanni 
della  Robbia.  This  is  a  mistake.  There  are  many  examples 
from  the  Robbia  atelier  which  cannot  authoritatively  be  ascribed 
to  any  particular  one  of  the  three  Robbias,  yet  which  rank  artis- 
tically with  Andrea's  work,  and  are  superior  to  Giovanni's  pro- 
ductions. Mrs.  Lydig's  two  reliefs  mentioned  above  belong  to 
this  category. 

The  third  relief  forms  part  of  a  group  of  sculptures  which  are 
probably  from  the  hand  of  Benedetto  Buglioni,  and  are  in  nowise 
inferior  to  Giovanni's  work.  This  composition,  in  itself  charming, 
is  somewhat  clumsily  placed  in  the  circular  frame,  but  gains 
decorative  value  from  the  well-executed  fruit  wreath  which  sur- 
rounds the  figures. 

The  only  marble  relief  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  is  a  characteristic 
work  by  Mino  da  Fiesole — the  last  of  the  great  Florentine  marble 
sculptors  of  the  Quattrocento — if  the  well-known  Ciborium  in 
Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  and  the  Crucifixion  in  Santa  Balbina,  both 
in  Rome,  are  really  his  work.  A  comparison  of  the  Adoration 
on  the  Ciborium  proves  without  a  doubt  that  our  relief  of  the 
Madonna  was  made  by  the  same  hand,  and  this  Ciborium 
together  with  the  kindred  Crucifixion  in  Santa  Balbina  have  here- 
tofore been  described  and  published  by  Dr.  Wilhelm  Bode,  the 
foremost  expert  on  Italian  sculptures,  as  the  chief  achievements 
of  Mino  da  Fiesole  during  his  residence  in  Rome.  It  must  be 
mentioned,  however,  that  recently,  on  Italian  authority,  the  name 
of  the  Roman  sculptor,  Mino  del  Reame,  who  is  mentioned  by 
Vasari,  has  been  connected  with  these  works.  This  attribution, 
however,  has  not  found  many  supporters.    Our  relief,  like  all 

XX 


INTRODUCTION 

Mino  da  Fiesole's  Roman  work,  shows  classic  influence  in  the 
unusual  placing  of  the  Madonna  in  profile,  and  in  the  straight 
severe  lines  of  the  drapery.    It  combines  a  happy  admixture  of 
earnest  religious  feeling  in  the  portrayal  of  the  Madonna,  with  a 
fresh,  naive  realism  in  the  delineation  of  the  sleeping  Child. 


DRAWING  ROOM 


It  is  no  coincidence  that  Mrs.  Lydig's  two  free-standing  marble 
statues  are  Cinquecento  productions,  while  the  works  by  the 
sculptors  of  the  Quattrocento  are  all  bas-reliefs.  The  Quattro- 
cento artists  were  pre-eminently  masters  of  relief  and  even  in 
their  sculptures  in  the  round  preserved  the  one-sided  aspect,  but 
Michelangelo  brought  about  the  appreciation  of  statues  destined 
to  be  viewed  from  several  different  points,  and  this  art  was  further 
and  cleverly  developed  by  his  successors. 
The  marble  statue  of  the  Boy  with  a  Dolphin  is  closely  akin  to 

xxi 


INTRODUCTION 

Michelangelo  in  style,  and  has  many  points  of  similarity  with  the 
Giovannino  in  Berlin.  Its  sculptor  makes  clever  usage  of  the  con- 
trasted position,  so  often  adopted  by  Michelangelo — that  is,  the 
forestretching  of  the  right  arm  and  the  left  foot,  or  vice  versa — 
to  obtain  the  mobile  turn  of  the  figure,  necessary  to  a  sculpture 
destined  to  be  viewed  from  several  different  points.  This  tran- 
sition of  the  view-point  from  one  side  to  the  other  has  been  skilfully 
carried  out,  and  the  easy  and  elegant  pose  of  the  figure  is  entirely 
characteristic  of  the  Giovannino.  There  is  much  in  this  work  that 
is  reminiscent  of  the  signed  marble  statue  by  Domenico  Poggini,- 
in  private  possession  in  New  York,  but  here  we  have  to  do  with 
an  artist  of  higher  rank  whose  conception  is  on  larger  and  more 
elegant  lines. 

While  the  foregoing  work  belongs  to  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  Michelangelo's  first  period,  Giovanni  da  Bologna's 
alabaster  statue  leads  us  past  the  middle  of  the  century  to  the 
days  of  the  great  master's  later  style.  The  Boy  with  a  Dolphin 
is  planned  for  three  different  view-points,  although  the  front  view 
is  the  best  one  (a  rear  aspect  is  obviated  by  the  placing  of  the 
figure  against  a  wall),  but  in  his  statue  of  the  kneeling  Venus 
Giovanni  da  Bologna  has  solved  with  the  utmost  virtuosity  that 
almost  insuperable  problem  for  the  sculptor,  the  creating  of  a 
statue  to  be  viewed  from  all  sides.  This  work  belongs  to  the 
last  phase  of  Renaissance  sculpture,  when  the  artists'  highly 
perfected  technique  tempted  them  to  a  somewhat  exaggerated 
and  too  complicated  pose  of  the  body. 

The  bronze  statuettes  of  the  Renaissance  may  be  said  to  bear 
the  same  relation  to  the  larger  sculptures  of  the  period  that  a 
drawing  bears  to  the  completed  work.  They  are  sometimes 
studies  reproducing  the  first  inspirations  of  the  great  masters, 
giving  us  often  their  happiest  conceptions,  which  could  scarcely 
be  carried  out  on  a  larger  scale;  or  again,  they  are  works  of  the 

xxii 


INTRODUCTION 

finest  decorative  spirit,  whose  careful  execution  suggests  an  artist 
still  influenced  by  the  traditions  of  the  goldsmith's  craft.  Almost 
all  the  great  sculptors— Donatello,  Michelangelo,  Giovanni  da 
Bologna,  Cellini,  and  others— have  left  such  studies  behind  them, 
and  side  by  side  with  these  masters  there  existed  a  number  of 
others  whose  talents  lay  pre-eminently  in  the  production  of  small 
art  objects,  and  who  are  less  well-known  than  the  creators  of  the 
large  sculptural  works.  Of  these  may  be  mentioned  the  great 
North  Italian  bronze  sculptor  Riccio,  the  Florentines  Bellano, 
Francesco  da  Sant'  Agata,  and  others.  On  account  of  their  great 
value,  even  in  the  days  of  the  Renaissance  these  bronze  statuettes 
were  only  to  be  found  in  princely  collections,  and  even  to-day 
the  appreciation  and  knowledge  of  this  branch  of  art  is  hampered 
by  the  difficulty  of  finding  examples  to  study  in  public  collec- 
tions. The  statuettes  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  possession  afford  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  of  becoming  familiar  with  the  work  of  a 
number  of  the  most  notable  masters  in  this  distinguished  art. 
Andrea  Riccio,  that  great  and  inspired  Paduan  artist  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  famed  for  his  bronze  candelabra  in  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Padua,  is  represented  by  two  Satyrs  playing  with  a  ball. 
These  little  figures  give  proof  of  the  much  greater  spontaneity 
and  abandon  possible  in  the  execution  of  statuettes  as  compared 
with  the  larger  forms  of  sculpture.  Francesco  da  Sant'  Agata 
is  represented  by  a  charming  figure,  a  later  cast,  representing  a 
youth,  reminiscent  of  the  Greek  statue  of  Hypnos,  and  prophetic 
of  the  Age  of  Bronze  by  Rodin. 

The  gilded  statue  of  Marsyas  is  another  Florentine  work  of  the 
period,  and  the  characteristic,  somewhat  hard  style  is  akin  to 
that  of  Pollaiuolo  and  Bellano.  The  richly  decorated  inkstand, 
in  the  form  of  a  casket,  is  undoubtedly  the  production  of  a 
Paduan  pupil  of  Donatello.  These  caskets,  whose  rather  frequent 
repetition  shows  them  to  have  been  highly  prized  in  the  fifteenth 

xxiii 


INTRODUCTION 

century,  are  generally  ascribed  to  the  Milan  goldsmith  Caradosso. 
Among  the  sixteenth  century  productions  Florentine  art  is  espe- 
cially happily  represented.  The  anatomical  figure  of  a  man  is 
the  work  of  a  pupil  of  Michelangelo,  and  is  remarkable  for  the 
knowledge  of  muscular  formation  indicated,  and  for  the  pictur- 
esque turn  of  the  figure  which  we  find  likewise  in  the  large  sculp- 
tures mentioned  above.  One  must  remark  the  progress  achieved 
by  the  sculptors  of  this  period  in  their  portrayal  of  the  nude,  and 
the  emphasis  they  laid  on  careful  chiseling. 
The  statuettes  in  the  style  of  Domenico  Poggini,  the  Gladiator, 
and  more  especially  the  Man  carrying  a  Boy,  are  splendid  ex- 
amples of  this  trend,  the  latter  bronze  being  among  the  finest  works 
of  the  collection.  Poggini  is  mentioned  in  Cellini's  biography 
as  being  one  of  his  pupils,  and  a  large  number  of  medals  executed 
by  him  have  been  preserved.  Latterly  two  signed  bronze  stat- 
uettes by  him  were  discovered  in  the  Palazzo  Vecchio  in  Florence, 
and  their  similarity  to  our  two  figures,  which  are  duplicated  in 
Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan's  collection,  leads  Dr.  Bode  to  ascribe  these 
works  to  him. 

Giovanni  da  Bologna,  already  mentioned  above,  was  undoubtedly 
the  greatest  of  Michelangelo's  followers  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century  and  his  most  remarkable  works  were  executed 
in  bronze.  His  splendid  group  of  Hercules  overpowering  the 
Arcadian  Stag  displays  his  artistry  from  its  best  side.  It  has 
monumental  and  powerful  splendor  of  line,  and  daring  contours, 
and  is  pervaded  by  a  sure  instinct  for  beauty  which  is  never  lost 
in  the  complications  of  the  pose. 

Bronze  statuettes  were  rarely  produced  outside  of  Italy  during 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  when  found,  generally  betray  a  more 
or  less  strong  Italian  influence.  The  great  foreign  artists  among 
sculptors  in  bronze — Giovanni  da  Bologna  himself  was  a  native 
of  Douai — generally  transferred  the  scene  of  their  labors  to  Italy, 

xxiv 


INTRODUCTION 

retaining  none  the  less  traces  of  their  Northern  origin.  The  light 
patina  and  fine  lines  of  the  rare  Equestrian  statue  of  Henry  IV  of 
France,  which  is  in  all  probability  a  Northern  production,  are 
characteristic  of  the  school  of  Giovanni  da  Bologna,  and  seem  to 
point  to  his  authorship.   The  powerful,  expressive  group  of  two 


LIBRARY 


nude  wrestling  women,  duplicated  in  the  Wallace  Collection,  is 
convincingly  ascribed  by  Dr.  Bode  to  a  Flemish  artist  domiciled 
in  Florence. 

The  place  occupied  by  Padua  in  the  history  of  fifteenth  century 
Italian  bronze  sculpture  is  in  the  sixteenth  century  usurped  by 
Venice ;  and  the  best  works  of  this  period  may  be  ascribed  to 
the  two  great  masters  Jacopo  Sansovino  and  Alessandro  Vittoria. 
Decorative  pieces,  such  as  fire-dogs,  ink-wells,  and  candelabra 
form  a  large  part  of  their  achievement,  although  they  also  exe- 


XXV 


INTRODUCTION 

cuted  large  sculptural  groups,  reliefs  for  church  portals,  and 
statuettes.  These  two  masters  are  so  similar  in  style  that  in  the 
case  of  some  of  their  productions  the  attribution  has  not  been 
definitely  decided  at  the  present  time. 

The  two  charming  Putti  bearing  candelabra  are  generally  ascribed 
to  Sansovino.  This  was  the  case  at  the  auction  of  the  Taylor 
Collection  last  year  when  similar  examples  were  sold.  Latterly, 
however,  Dr.  Bode  has  attributed  these,  as  well  as  the  splendid 
Venetian  fire-dogs  in  the  Taylor  Collection  and  those  owned  by 
Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan,  to  Alessandro  Vittoria.  However  this  may 
be,  they  are  works  of  the  most  charming  decorative  value,  and 
the  ornamentation  of  their  bases  with  sea-horses  and  dolphins  is 
characteristic  of  the  lagoon-encircled  city  of  their  birth,  as  is  their 
exuberant  but  pleasing  and  picturesque  conception. 
While  the  sculptures  mentioned  so  far  are  distributed  in  the 
Renaissance  rooms  in  the  two  lower  stories,  we  find  a  small  but 
selected  number  of  examples  of  French  eighteenth  century  plas- 
tic art  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  boudoir  on  the  third  floor  of  the  house. 
Houdon,  the  greatest  genius  of  the  period — the  master  who 
combined  in  his  art  the  tragic  with  the  humorous,  and  intense 
characterization  with  decorative  charm — is  represented  by  one 
of  his  naive  and  appealing  busts  of  children,  in  which  he  rivalled 
successfully  the  Florentine  sculptors  of  the  early  Renaissance. 
Differing  from  those  artists,  who  depict  children  mostly  in  their 
quiet,  dreamy  and  pensive  moods,  he  characterizes  them  with 
the  vivid  and  lively  expression  of  some  fleeting  moment.  All 
sculptors  of  the  time  of  Louis  XV  and  Louis  XVI  were  fond  of 
portraying  the  beauty  of  youth  and  adolescence,  and  the  two 
busts  in  terracotta  by  Pajou  are  excellent  examples  of  this  charm- 
ing art.  They  show  a  somewhat  conventional  artist  from  his 
best  side.  He  was  a  contemporary  and  rival  of  Houdon,  and, 
like  him,  a  pupil  of  Lemoine,  but  developing  rather  the  social 

xxvi 


INTRODUCTION 

aspects  of  his  master's  art,  became  famous  as  a  sculptor  of  por- 
traits of  fair  society  women,  to  whom  he  gave  a  winning,  childish 
expression  not  quite  devoid  of  conventional  coquetry.  Among 
the  masters  who  worked  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XV,  Pigalle 
seized  upon  the  idea  of  producing  companion  statuettes  of  chil- 
dren, a  boy  and  a  girl,  modelled  either  in  marble  or  bronze.  To 
him  are  attributed  the  two  small  figures  in  marble  representing 
a  boy  carrying  grapes  and  a  girl  holding  flowers,  figures  which 
in  their  small  dimensions  show  the  French  sculptors  animated 
by  aims  similar  to  those  of  the  miniaturists  of  the  time.  None 
of  the  earlier  French  or  Italian  masters  would  have  dared  to  exe- 
cute marble  statues  so  small  in  their  proportions  and  so  perfect 
in  their  surface.    However,  the  sculptor  most  remarkable  for 
delicate  technique  in  the  handling  of  small  marbles  was  Fal- 
conet, who,  like  Houdon  and  Pajou,  was  a  pupil  of  Lemoine. 
The  most  modern  criticism  is  very  sceptical  about  attributing 
to  the  hand  and  chisel  of  a  master  who  had  so  large  a  following 
as  Falconet  the  numerous  works  in  his  style,  but  the  clock  and 
the  playing  girl,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Lydig,  give  an  excellent 
idea  of  his  best  manner  and  of  his  exquisite  treatment  of  the 
marble.    The  spirited  and  vivid  Rococo  contours,  typical  of 
the  works  of  Houdon  and  Pajou,  have  changed  in  Falconet's 
marbles  to  a  more  reserved  and  simplified  outline  which  shows 
his  sympathy  with  the  classical  tendencies  prevalent  in  France 
during  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI. 

GOLDSMITH'S  WORK  AND  CERAMICS 

Some  masterly  examples  of  mediaeval  and  Renaissance  goldsmith's 
work  represent  the  achievements  of  the  Northern  artists  of  this 
period,  who  were  superior  to  the  Italian  craftsmen  of  the  time  in 
their  work  in  silver  and  enamels. 

A  crucifix,  enameled  on  the  front  and  engraved  on  the  back,  is 

xxvii 


INTRODUCTION 

one  of  the  rare  examples  of  twelfth  century  Rhenish  enamel 
work  which  are  generally  more  individual  and  bolder  in  design 
than  contemporary  French  productions,  from  which  this  piece 
is  further  distinguished  by  its  white  enamel  background  and  its 
red-brown  tones.  The  Limoges  enamel  workers  are  represented 
by  a  charming  thirteenth  century  reliquary,  whose  design  betrays 
a  more  spirited  and  elegant  taste.  The  glowing  blues  and  greens 
of  the  enamel,  against  which  the  engraved  and  raised  figures 
stand  out  clearly,  are  rightly  regarded  as  some  of  the  most  in- 
imitable color  achievements  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
A  group  of  six  costly  drinking  vessels,  in  the  form  of  various 
animals — horses,  a  lion,  a  hen,  and  a  goat — leads  us  into  quite 
another  world,  that  of  the  late  German  Renaissance  with  its  joy 
in  the  reproduction  of  natural  objects.  The  few  drinking  vessels 
of  this  kind  preserved  to  us,  which  are  found  for  the  most  part 
in  public  museums,  in  the  collections  of  the  Rothschilds  and  in 
private  possession  in  Germany,  seem  generally  to  have  been 
made  at  the  order  of  some  Prince  or  of  a  powerful  Guild  who 
desired  to  have  their  arms  reproduced  in  this  form.  The  heads 
of  all  these  animals,  with  the  exception  of  one  horse,  can  be  re- 
moved, although  even  in  early  times  they  were  probably  more 
frequently  used  for  table  decoration  than  as  actual  drinking 
vessels. 

The  small  but  exceedingly  choice  collection  of  ceramics  leads  us 
to  widely  differing  parts  of  the  globe — from  China  to  Persia,  from 
Moorish  Spain  to  Gothic  Italy,  and  we  can  follow  thereby  a  style 
development  extending  over  a  period  of  five  hundred  years — from 
the  tenth  century  to  the  sixteenth. 

The  earliest  objects  are  the  dark  green  glazed  earthenware 
Chinese  vases,  long  attributed  to  the  Han  Dynasty  (B.  C.  206 — 
A.  D.  220),  but  now  with  more  justice  ascribed  to  the  Tang  period 
(618-906  A.  D.).    These  are  vases  of  large  and  simple  lines,  ad- 

xxviii 


INTRODUCTION 

mirably  reproducing  the  splendid  proportions  of  the  bronzes  of 
the  Han  period  from  which  they  were  modeled.  These  bronzes 
also  determined  the  ring-like  decorations  in  which  the  original 
ring  handles  of  the  bronzes  can  be  clearly  distinguished,  while 
the  green  coloring  was  doubtless  in  imitation  of  the  patina  of  the 


LIBRARY 


bronze  vessels.  The  two  other  pieces  of  green  glazed  pottery, 
a  high  vase  and  a  low  bowl,  have  forms  peculiar  to  ceramics,  that 
of  the  bowl  being  frequently  met  with  in  thirteenth  century 
Persian  ware,  although  Mrs.  Lydig's  specimen  is  of  Chinese 
manufacture.  They  belong  to  a  later  period  than  the  vases  al- 
ready mentioned.  The  bowl,  with  its  balanced,  careful  tech- 
nique, dates  possibly  from  the  Sung  period  (960-1279),  while  the 
high  vase,  whose  rough  handling  is  reminiscent  of  the  Palace 
tiles  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  doubtless  had  its  origin  in  that  period. 
Chinese  porcelain,  which  in  point  of  date  was  subsequent  to  the 

xxix 


INTRODUCTION 

glazed  pottery,  is  represented  by  several  large  fish  bowls.  Like 
the  earthenware  vessels,  their  massive  contours  and  simple, 
severe  modeling  bear  the  impress  of  the  mediaeval  spirit.  They 
belong  to  the  primitive  era  of  Chinese  porcelains,  the  Chia  Ching 
( 1 522- 1 566)  and  the  Wan-li  ( 1 5 73- 1 6 1 9)  periods,  whose  products, 
while  less  finished,  are  more  robust  than  those  of  the  reign  of 
K'ang-hsi.  Their  deep  ultramarine  blue,  which  as  yet  shows  no 
tendency  to  grow  pale,  has,  as  a  color  mass,  never  been  sur- 
passed, and  it  must  have  been  this  tone  which  was  produced  in 
imitation  of  the  Persian  faiences,  and  which  received  the  name 
of  Mohammedan  blue. 

At  a  time  when  the  Chinese  still  employed  an  almost  entirely 
monochrome  ornament  in  their  ceramics,  flat  decoration,  con- 
sisting of  figures  or  motives  drawn  from  vegetation,  had  reached 
a  high  point  of  development  in  Persia.  The  two  faience  vases 
owned  by  Mrs.  Lydig,  which  were  probably  produced  in  Meso- 
potamia in  the  fourteenth  century,  show  a  charming  decoration 
of  tendrils  and  arabesques  in  black  on  a  blue-green  ground. 
These  vases,  while  differing  in  detail  from  the  design  of  the  late- 
period  Ispahan  rugs  which  cover  the  floors  in  this  and  the  ad- 
joining rooms,  are  still  quite  in  character  with  them,  and  proclaim 
themselves  the  product  of  a  land  where  the  linear  decoration  of 
flat  surfaces  reached  its  highest  point  of  development. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Hispano-Moresque  artists  of  the  late 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  drew  their  inspiration  from  the 
lustred  faience  ware  produced  in  Persia  and  Egypt  at  an  earlier 
period.  Their  art,  which  centered  in  Valencia  and  a  few  neigh- 
boring towns,  is  in  a  certain  sense  the  most  complete  and  per- 
fected achievement  in  the  whole  domain  of  ceramics.  It  is  an 
art  which  flowered  under  certain  definitely  assumed  restrictions, 
necessary  to  the  production  of  significant  and  finished  forms. 
Their  forms  are  limited  almost  exclusively  to  large  bowls  and 

XXX 


INTRODUCTION 

albarelli,  and  the  color  to  a  gold  lustre  which  in  examples  of  the 
early  period  is  intermingled  with  blue,  while  the  decorations  con- 
sist almost  exclusively  of  geometrical  figures,  than  which  there 
is  no  more  appropriate  ornamentation  for  ceramics.  It  is  only 
in  isolated  specimens  that  we  find  that  the  decorative  inspiration 
has  been  drawn  from  nature.  With  these  modest  mediums,  and 
within  a  short  period  of  time,  objects  of  unsurpassed  merit  were 
created.  It  is  true  that  an  art  in  itself  so  essentially  Spanish  and 
restricted  could  not  enjoy  a  long  period  of  life,  and  its  golden  age 
compasses  hardly  one  hundred  years,  from  the  end  of  the  four- 
teenth to  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Of  the  ceramic  pro- 
ductions of  this  period  no  more  than  a  few  hundred  examples 
have  been  preserved  to  us.  The  great  mass  of  lustred  faience 
produced  after  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  and  the  expulsion 
of  the  Moors  up  to  our  own  days  is  artistically  worthless. 
Mrs.  Lydig  owns  two  albarelli  and  one  bowl,  specimens  of  the 
splendid  early  lustred  ware  which  was  already  in  the  fifteenth 
century  celebrated  beyond  the  confines  of  Spain  and  highly  prized 
at  the  courts  of  the  Burgundian  and  Italian  Princes.  The  bowl 
is  the  most  valuable  of  these  three  pieces,  and  with  one  albarello 
belongs  to  that  early  period  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury when  the  purely  geometrical  Moorish  style  of  decoration 
was  still  dominant,  its  Cufic  inscriptions,  Moorish  arches  and 
arabesques  being  strongly  reminiscent  of  the  ornamentation  of 
the  Alhambra.  The  second  albarello,  of  a  clear  gold  lustre,  is  a 
little  later  in  date,  and  may  be  placed  about  the  middle  of  the 
century,  when  small  Spanish  Gothic  flower-patterns  began  to 
mingle  with  the  Arabian  designs.  The  form  of  the  albarello,  or 
apothecary  jar,  reappears,  as  is  well  known,  in  Italian  ceramics, 
drawn  either  from  some  Spanish  source,  or  from  its  original  home 
in  Mesopotamia. 

Mrs.  Lydig's  two  Italian  examples  are  Florentine  and  Faenza  pro- 

xxxi 


INTRODUCTION 

ductions  of  the  early  sixteenth  century,  and  compared  with  the 
Spanish  pieces  show  how  much  more  diversified  and  highly 
colored  was  the  Italian  conception.  The  Italian  craftsmen  went 
even  further,  and,  notably  in  the  sixteenth  century,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  great  masters  of  painting,  introduced  figures  and 
scenic  representations  into  their  creations  which  were  frankly  not 
always  adapted  to  the  simple  forms  of  ceramic  art.  These  con- 
ceptions, however,  display  so  much  charm  and  lively  fancy  that 
they  are  increasingly  highly  prized,  despite  a  growing  predilec- 
tion in  favor  of  the  more  primitive  variety  of  ceramics.  The  bowl 
with  the  Judgment  of  Paris  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  more 
pictorial  class  of  work,  and  was  in  all  likelihood  produced  in  the 
atelier  at  Urbino  during  the  third  or  fourth  decade  of  the  six- 
teenth century. 

The  most  notable  piece,  however,  among  the  specimens  of  Italian 
faience  is  a  monumental  vase  with  green  decorations  on  a  gray 
ground,  which  is  remarkable  in  that  it  is  one  of  the  few  existing 
examples  of  Florentine  ceramics  of  the  first  half  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  Its  massive  contours,  direct  outlines,  the  awkwardness 
yet  dignity  of  the  whole  conception,  remind  us  that  we  are  in  the 
period  of  Masaccio  and  Castagno.  The  ornamentation  shows  an 
admixture  of  Gothic  and  Oriental  motives,  calling  our  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  beginnings  of  ceramic  art  in  Italy  were  closely 
interwoven  with  the  importation  of  faiences  from  the  Near  East. 
This  well-preserved  work  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Bode  in  his  book 
on  early  Florentine  Majolica  as  one  of  the  chief  productions  of  the 
early  Florentine  potters. 

FURNITURE 

The  furniture  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  naturally  predominates 
in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection,  although  examples  of  contempora- 
neous Northern  work  are  not  lacking.    At  a  period  when  Italy 

xxxii 


INTRODUCTION 

was  producing  typical  Renaissance  furniture,  such  as  the  two 
Florentine  Savonarola  chairs,  simple  Gothic  forms  were  still  being 
fashioned  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps.  The  interesting  French 
choir  stall,  with  grotesque  figures  on  the  arms,  belongs  to  this 
category  of  woodwork,  and  the  realism  of  its  ornaments  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  late  Gothic  spirit.  There  is,  it  must  be  admitted, 
a  suggestion  of  Gothic  lines  in  the  swinging  curves  of  the  heavily 
built  Florentine  chairs,  but  their  broad  contours  show  how  little 
understanding  of  the  Gothic  spirit  and  the  pointed  arch  there 
was  in  Italy. 

Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  is  remarkable  for  the  four  chests  or  cassoni 
— that  most  characteristic  article  of  Italian  Renaissance  furniture- 
examples  which  are  among  the  masterpieces  of  their  kind.  The 
Venetian  chest  is  the  earliest,  and  is  in  a  splendid  state  of  pres- 
ervation. This  type  of  cassone,  ornamented  with  stucco  and 
gilding,  which  was  peculiar  to  Northern  Italy,  reached  its  most 
elaborate  development  in  Venice.  The  arabesques  covering  its 
surface  are  indicative  of  the  close  relations  which  existed  between 
Venetian  art  and  that  of  the  Orient. 

In  contrast  to  this  early  Renaissance  specimen,  with  its  relatively 
flat  relief  and  straight  sides,  are  the  three  carved  walnut  chests, 
masterpieces  of  the  Middle  Renaissance.  This  form  undoubtedly 
originated  in  Florence,  but  received  its  later  development  in 
Rome,  where  the  great  Florentine  artists,  Raffael,  Michelangelo 
and  others,  whose  influence  was  strongly  felt  in  the  decorative 
arts,  had  established  themselves,  and  where  they  completed  their 
greatest  works. 

Besides  the  Italian  Renaissance  furnishings,  the  collection  con- 
tains isolated  examples  of  Northern  Renaissance  work.  There  is 
an  English  arm-chair,  and  three  Elizabethan  stools,  which  show 
English  furniture  of  the  period  to  have  been  rough  and  primitive 
compared  with  that  of  Continental  origin.    Then  there  are  two 

xxxiii 


INTRODUCTION 

valuable  French  cacquetoire  chairs,  of  the  late  sixteenth  century, 
one  of  which  is  distinguished  by  Havard  as  a  typical  example  of 
its  kind.  The  Portuguese  arm-chairs,  belonging  to  the  transition 
period  between  Baroque  and  Rococo,  are  remarkable  examples 
of  a  too  richly  decorated  style  which  strove  to  combine  early 
Moorish  ideas  with  those  of  France  and  even,  perhaps,  of  Holland. 
In  Mrs.  Lydig's  boudoir  there  are  a  number  of  the  refined  and 
perfectly  finished  pieces  of  furniture  which  the  French  cabinet 
makers  produced  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI.  A  desk  and 
commode  are  the  most  noteworthy  individual  pieces,  but  it  is  in 
the  gray  panelling  and  the  arrangement  of  the  room  that  the  ele- 
gance and  distinction  of  the  style  are  most  brilliantly  expressed. 
Four  charming  carved  over-doors  of  the  period  have  been  let  into 
the  panelling  with  a  very  happy  effect,  serving  by  their  richness 
to  emphasize  the  distinction  of  the  plain  surfaces  and  fine  mould- 
ings of  the  wall  panels. 

TAPESTRIES,  RUGS  AND  TEXTILES 

The  five  tapestries  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  all  belong  to  that 
golden  age  of  the  mediaeval  art  of  weaving — the  transition  period 
from  the  Gothic  to  the  Renaissance.  While  in  point  of  time 
they  are  restricted  to  an  interval  of  not  more  than  forty  years, 
they  are  splendid  examples  of  the  widely  differing  conceptions  of 
the  Burgundian  and  Brussels  ateliers. 

The  Barbarossa  tapestry  must  take  precedence  in  point  of  antiq- 
uity, and  it  is  one  of  the  most  expressive  of  the  Burgundian  pro- 
ductions which  have  come  down  to  us.  The  greater  number  of 
Burgundian  tapestries  woven  during  the  reigns  of  Philip  the  Good 
and  Charles  the  Bold  represent  assemblages  of  people  or  battle 
scenes  filled  with  figures.  Here,  however,  we  for  once  have  a 
single  figure  conceived  in  the  splendid  and  dignified  manner 
which  distinguished  all  the  works  of  art  produced  at  the  Burgun- 

xxxiv 


INTRODUCTION 

dian  court.  The  pride  and  majesty  of  bearing  so  typical  of  the 
pretensions  of  the  Burgundian  rulers  is  expressed  in  a  couple  of 
charming  verses  at  the  top  of  the  tapestry,  quite  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  inscriptions  on  the  famous  tapestries  represent- 
ing the  history  of  Trajan  in  the  Museum  of  Berne,  to  which  this 


BOUDOIR 


piece  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  bears  a  strong  similarity  in  style,  although 
it  must  have  been  executed  perhaps  twenty  years  later.  It  is 
probably  the  production  of  the  greatest  of  the  Burgundian 
ateliers,  that  of  Pasquale  Grenier  of  Tournai.  The  Burgundians, 
who  were  earlier  than  the  Italians  in  their  adoption  of  the  Re- 
naissance conception,  and  whose  work  was  invariably  character- 
ized by  a  strong  realism,  combined  with  the  solemnly  religious 
conception  of  mediaeval  times,  were  the  first  to  introduce  genre- 
like compositions  on  a  large  scale  into  the  domain  of  art.  We 

XXXV 


INTRODUCTION 

learn  from  existing  inventories  that  Grenier  received  orders  to 
weave  several  tapestries  with  "orangiers"  and  "genspaysans  et 
bocherons  lesquels  font  maniere  de  ouvres  et  labourer  au  dit 
bois  diverses  facons,"  and,  in  fact,  a  number  of  tapestries 
answering  to  this  description  have  been  preserved.  The  Musee 
des  Arts  Decoratifs  possesses  three  of  these  productions,  of 
which  two  have  been  rightly  identified  by  Dr.  A.  Warburg  with 
the  first  of  these  commissions  to  Pasquale  Grenier  in  1460,  and 
the  third  with  one  given  to  Jean  Grenier  in  1505,  and  it  is  of  this 
hanging  that  a  second  tapestry  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  would 
seem  to  be  a  part.  In  our  composition  the  page,  holding  a  capar- 
isoned white  horse,  and  accompanied  by  several  musicians,  is 
waiting  for  his  master,  who  in  the  Paris  representation  is  over- 
seeing the  labors  of  the  wood-cutters.  These  wood-cutters  are 
felling  orange  trees  and  planting  young  saplings,  and  their  labors 
earned  the  name  of  "orangier"  for  this  type  of  tapestry.  The 
color  scheme  of  gay  blue  and  red  costumes,  with  the  white  horse 
in  the  center  of  the  picture,  is  particularly  attractive  in  our  ex- 
ample, which  is  still  characterized  by  the  strong  colors  of  the 
early  Burgundian  tapestries,  although  the  drawing  already  betrays 
the  rather  more  elegant  conception  of  the  period  about  1 500. 
The  remarkable  tapestry  with  giraffes  carrying  little  children  on 
their  backs  and  led  by  gypsies,  is  another  genre-like  scene,  typi- 
fying the  love  of  the  Burgundian  princes  for  all  that  was  exotic  and 
Oriental.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  representations  of  the  giraffe 
in  art.  We  cannot  state  authoritatively  whether  we  have  here  a 
Triumph  of  the  Innocents,  as  has  been  surmised,  or  rather  one 
of  those  curious  genre  scenes  which  are  more  akin  to  the  realistic 
Burgundian  temperament.  It  is  safe  to  conclude,  however,  from 
the  style  of  the  tapestry,  that  it  belongs  to  the  first  period  of  Bur- 
gundian tapestry  weaving,  prior  to  the  fall  of  Charles  the  Bold. 
Although  only  a  short  period  of  time  elapsed  between  the  pro- 

xxxvi 


INTRODUCTION 

duction  of  the  above-mentioned  work  and  the  one  now  to  be 
described,  the  two  tapestries  are  totally  different  in  conception. 
The  Burgundian  style  has  been  displaced  by  that  of  the  period  of 
Maximilian,  and  of  the  prosperous,  powerful  trading  towns  of 
Flanders  and  Brabant,  Bruges,  Antwerp  and  Brussels.  This  new 
conception,  in  which  the  court  influence  is  still  dominant,  is 
more  refined,  both  in  the  drawing  and  in  the  coloring,  which  is 
dryer  and  more  delicate.  Under  Italian  influence  these  com- 
positions became  more  harmonious  and  symmetrical,  and  reached 
a  high  point  of  technical  perfection.  In  rare  cases  gold  and  silver 
threads  were  worked  into  them. 

Both  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  tapestries,  the  King  Jonathan  and  the  Noli 
me  Tangere,  stand  in  close  relation  to  the  atelier  of  Jan  van 
Room,  who  designed  the  Brussels  Herkenbald  Tapestry,  while 
Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan's  famous  tapestry,  "The  Kingdom  of  Heaven," 
is  credited  to  the  same  atelier.  The  love  of  elegant  poses  and  of 
a  multitude  of  splendid  costumes,  typical  of  this  master,  is  ap- 
parent in  the  Jonathan  tapestry.  With  this  is  combined  a  fine 
feeling  for  expressive  and  characteristic  gesture  which  is  of 
especial  importance  in  the  designing  of  wall  hangings.  The 
colors  of  the  Jonathan  tapestry  correspond  to  the  refinement  of 
its  style,  and  a  warm  golden  brown  and  glowing  red  appear  and 
reappear  throughout  the  composition. 

The  gem  among  the  tapestries  is,  however,  the  Noli  me  Tangere 
from  the  Spitzer  Collection.  Only  rarely  did  an  artist  of  this 
period,  in  designing  a  tapestry,  limit  himself  as  in  this  instance 
to  the  delineation  of  a  few  extraordinarily  expressive  figures.  A 
more  successful  composition,  or  one  embodying  more  splendid 
color  effects,  rarely  emanated  from  the  Brussels  looms.  The  de- 
tails of  the  costumes  are  wonderfully  drawn,  as  is  the  surround- 
in^  landscape;  the  plants  in  the  foreground  betray  a  close  study 
of  nature,  the  trees  in  the  middle  distance  suggest  an  acquaint- 

xxxvii 


INTRODUCTION 

ance  with  Southern  lands,  while  the  border  is  a  master-work 
of  light  yet  luxuriantly  intertwined  foliage.  The  artists  whose 
united  efforts  produced  this  work  combined  in  themselves 
the  highest  achievements  of  Flemish  miniature  painting,  of 
character  portrayal,  and  of  masterly  decorative  color  combina- 
tion. 

Six  of  the  Oriental  rugs  in  Mrs.  Lydig's  collection  belong  to  that 
prized  category  known  to  commerce  as  Ispahan  rugs,  but  which, 
according  to  later  investigation,  seem  to  have  had  their  origin  in 
Herat  in  Eastern  Persia.  They  are  characterized  by  the  incom- 
parable Persian  feeling  for  flat  decoration,  and  for  the  transposition 
of  simple  forms  of  vegetation  into  rhythmically  conventionalized 
motives.  Only  a  few  forms  have  been  employed,  peony  blos- 
soms and  palmettes  predominating,  intermingled  with  conven- 
tionalized bands  of  cloud,  a  motive  borrowed  from  the  Chinese, 
serving  as  connecting  links. 

It  is  no  less  than  wonderful  how  variegated  a  picture  has  been 
created  from  the  inter-development  of  these  slender  motives,  with 
their  perpetual  change  of  form,  which  still  in  nowise  destroys 
the  unity  of  the  whole.  Of  the  three  large  rugs,  that  with  the 
stiffly  arranged  palmette  design  is  probably  the  earliest,  dating 
back  to  the  sixteenth  century,  while  the  others  belong  to  the  first 
half  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  large  Indian  rug  is  an  especially  fine  example  of  the  weaver's 
art.  These  Indian  carpets  frequently  surpass  the  Persian  rugs  in 
closeness  of  weave,  although  not  in  artistic  quality.  In  our  rug, 
the  innumerable  small  blossoms,  the  stiffly  conventionalized 
border  surrounding  them,  the  harmonious  coloring,  are  all  char- 
acteristic of  a  late  seventeenth  century  production  of  the  Imperial 
workshops  at  Lahore.  The  rug  is  especially  interesting  by  reason 
of  the  innumerable  Chinese  emblems  strewn  throughout  the 
border. 

xxxviii 


INTRODUCTION 

A  group  of  textiles  composed  of  exquisite  Italian  velvets,  brocades 
and  embroideries  of  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  cen- 
turies is  included  in  the  Lydig  collection.    The  extremely  rare 
velvet  of  the  early  Renaissance  is  represented  by  a  green  cope 
with  the  familiar  design  of  pomegranates— a  design  which  in  its 
easy  and  free  arrangement  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ever 
produced.    A  similar  pattern,  with  fuller,  more  exuberant  and 
unsymmetrically  placed  tendrils,  reappears  in  a  Venetian  fifteenth 
century  brocaded  velvet,  of  which  Mrs.  Lydig  possesses  some 
large  strips.    A  splendid  result  both  technically  and  artistically 
has  been  achieved  in  the  designing  of  this  deep  red  velvet  lavishly 
brocaded  in  gold,  whose  beauty  and  splendid  artistry  are  typical 
of  its  Venetian  birthplace.    The  plain  red  velvet  which  forms  so 
rich  a  background  to  the  drawing-room  is  probably  a  sixteenth 
century  production,  and  is  of  a  similar  order  to  the  velvet  of  the 
cope  embroidered  in  mid-Renaissance  style. 
The  embroideries  on  red  velvet  which  decorate  the  chairs  and 
curtains  show,  for  the  most  part,  the  splendid  designs  of  the  late 
Renaissance,  with  representations  of  figures  in  circles  and  car- 
touches, surrounded  by  arabesques.  This  style,  which  originated 
in  Italy  about  15 so,  and  shows  a  mingling  of  the  influence  of 
Raphael's  grotesques  with  the  addition  of  Oriental  motives,  rep- 
resents, in  a  certain  sense,  the  highest  development  of  Renais- 
sance embroidery. 

The  Spanish  ecclesiastical  banners  adorning  the  stairway  lend  a 
curious  and  decorative  note.  The  earliest  are  contemporaneous 
with  the  Italian  embroideries  mentioned  above,  being  products 
of  the  second  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  show  how  deep 
an  influence  Italian  art  exercised  on  Spanish  textiles.  The  later 
specimens  date  from  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  in- 
dicate the  influence  of  France  on  Spanish  embroidery  at  that  time. 
In  both  cases  the  foreign  type  which  served  as  a  model  has  been 

xxxix 


INTRODUCTION 

transposed  into  something  over-rich  and  grandiose,  to  which, 
however,  a  highly  decorative  effect  cannot  be  denied. 
A  final  glance  over  the  general  arrangement  of  Mrs.  Lydig's  home 
shows  a  collection  of  works  of  the  most  diverse  materials,  chosen 
from  almost  all  the  countries  in  which  the  Renaissance  held  tri- 
umphal sway,  although  the  Italian  note  is  the  dominating  one. 
One  wonders  at  the  diversity  of  these  objects  which  stand  here 
amicably  side  by  side  and  lend  variety  to  a  still  harmonious  whole. 
Two  Tintorettos  hang  not  far  from  two  portraits  by  Moro;  French 
Gothic  saints  face  Delia  Robbia  medallions  in  the  same  room, 
which  is  further  adorned  by  a  fine  Flemish  tapestry  woven  with 
gold  and  silver  thread;  a  German  or  French  wood-carving  stands 
beside  an  Italian  bronze;  Chinese  and  Persian  vases  ornament  the 
chimney  pieces;  Italian  Renaissance  tables  consort  in  a  corner 
with  English  chairs  of  the  Elizabethan  period  and  richly  carved 
Portuguese  chairs  of  a  later  date.  On  the  floors  are  Ispahan  rugs 
of  admirable  quality,  dating  from  the  seventeenth  century — rugs 
resembling  those  we  find  in  Van  Dyck's  Genoese  pictures  as 
characteristic  details  of  Italian  interiors  of  the  late  Renaissance. 
Adherence  to  style,  which  demands  that  every  object  in  a  room 
or  house  be  of  one  and  the  same  period  and  origin,  has  not  been 
made  of  the  first  importance  here,  and  the  more  fortunately,  too, 
for  such  so-called  perfect  arrangements  are  generally  cold  and 
monotonous.  Here  harmony  is  obtained  by  the  predominating 
Italian  note  and  the  uniformly  high  quality  of  all  the  objects  as- 
sembled, while  variety  is  achieved  by  mingling  with  the  Italian 
objects  examples  of  the  art  of  other  nations  not  inimical  to  that 
of  the  Italian  Renaissance.  For  really  choice  objects,  selected  with 
taste,  will  blend  harmoniously,  no  matter  how  diverse  their  period 
or  origin. 

WlLHELM  R.  VALENTINER 


xl 


CATALOGUE 


ITALIAN  PAINTINGS 


SANDRO  BOTTICELLI 

Born  in  Florence,  1444  or  1445;  died  there  15 10.  Pupil  first  of 
the  goldsmith  Botticelli,  then  of  Fra  Filippo  Lippi,  influenced  by 
Antonio  Pollaiuolo  and  Verrochio.  Worked  mostly  in  Florence; 
for  a  short  time  in  Rome  and  Pisa.  Painter  of  allegorical  and 
religious  subjects  and  portraits. 

1.  VENUS 

The  goddess  stands  on  a  marble  base,  nude  except  for  a  diaph- 
onous  white  drapery  which  she  holds  with  both  hands  so  that  it 
covers  the  lower  part  of  her  body  and  on  the  right  falls  in  many 
fine  folds  to  the  floor.  In  the  main  fold  of  the  drapery  are  roses. 
Two  curls  of  her  golden  hair  fall  in  front,  one  on  either  shoulder. 
The  flesh  is  silvery  white  in  tone,  the  pedestal  bluish  gray,  and 
the  background  a  dark  neutral  tint. 

Tempera  on  canvas.    Height,  57K  inches;  width,  25  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Ferroni  Palace  in  Florence,  in  the  Bromley,  Dav- 
enport, Ashburton,  and  Northampton  collections.  Crowe  and 
Cavalcaselle  mention  in  the  last  edition  of  their  "History  of 
Painting"  this  Venus  after  the  "Mars  and  Venus"  of  the  National 
Gallery,  saying  that  it  is  better  than  the  other  similar  repre- 
sentations of  the  goddess.  It  is  obviously  allied  to  the  "Birth  of 
Venus  "  in  the  Uffizi,  as  the  goddess  has  a  somewhat  similar  pose. 
In  the  composition  and  in  the  drawing  of  the  hands  and  feet  and 
of  the  white  drapery,  it  reveals  the  master's  sense  of  design. 
Vasari  in  connection  with  the  "Birth  of  Venus"  speaks  of  "diverse 
femine  ignude"  by  Botticelli  which  were  in  Florentine  palaces 
in  his  day.  This  may  possibly  be  one  of  the  figures  referred  to 
by  Vasari.  Dr.  Bode  has  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  is  a 
genuine  work  by  Botticelli. 


i 


FLORENTINE  ARTIST  OF  THE  LATE  XV  CENTURY 


2.    VIRGIN  AND  CHILD 

Half-length  figure  of  the  Virgin,  who  wears  a  red  dress  under  a 
dark  blue  cloak  covering  her  left  shoulder.  From  her  blonde  hair 
falls  a  white  veil  which  is  loosely  twisted  about  her  neck.  She 
holds  the  child  a  little  to  her  right,  bending  her  head  toward  him. 
The  boy  stands  on  a  balustrade  and  seems  to  move  from  her. 
He  is  partly  dressed  in  a  white  drapery  and  in  his  left  hand  holds 
a  bird  to  his  lips.  Gold  halos  and  background  incised  with  rays 
and  dots. 

Tempera  on  panel,  with  arched  top.  In  the  original  frame. 
Height,  33  inches;  width,  22  inches. 

Similar  Madonnas  are  in  the  Fogg  Museum  at  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, in  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  in  Berlin  and  in  many  pri- 
vate collections.  They  are  usually  attributed  to  Pier  Francesco 
Fiorentino,  but  this  one  appears  rather  to  be  the  work  of  some 
closer  imitator  of  Fra  Filippo  Lippi. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  F.  Mason  Perkins  in  Assisi. 


3 


SANO  DI  PIETRO 

Born  in  Siena  in  1406;  died  there  in  1481.  Pupil  of  Sassetta. 
The  Academy  of  Siena  owns  forty-six  of  his  paintings.  Other 
works  by  him  in  the  Vatican,  the  Louvre,  in  the  Dresden  Gallery 
and  elsewhere.    He  also  painted  miniatures. 

3.    VIRGIN  AND  CHILD 

Full  length.  On  a  simple  stone  bench  the  Virgin  sits  enthroned, 
holding  with  both  hands  the  infant  Christ,  who  stands  upright 
on  her  lap.  The  Virgin's  head  is  bent  toward  the  right  and  her 
whole  figure  turned  slightly  in  that  direction.  Her  eyes,  like 
those  of  the  Child,  regard  the  spectator,  whom  the  young  Christ 
blesses  with  his  right  hand.  In  his  left  he  holds  a  scroll  in- 
scribed EGO  S[UM].  The  Virgin  is  almost  completely  en- 
veloped in  a  dark  blue  mantle  held  together  on  her  breast  by  a 
jeweled  clasp.  The  mantle  covers  her  feet,  but  allows  the  edge 
of  a  white  veil  to  show  about  her  face  and  reveals  a  portion  of 
her  red  dress  with  its  embroidered  border.  The  Child  is  partly 
clothed  in  a  reddish-white  drapery.  On  either  side,  against  the 
gold  background,  is  a  seraph's  head  with  halo  and  outstretched 
multi-colored  wings  extending  up  and  down.  Both  the  Madonna 
and  Child  have  halos  incised  in  the  gold  background,  the  former 
inscribed  MARIA  DEI  GRATIA  ET  MISE.    .  . 

Tempera  on  panel,  with  pointed  Gothic  top.  Original  frame 
with  small  crockets  above  on  the  outside  of  the  arch.  Height, 
S7  inches;  width,  27  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  F.  Mason  Perkins  in  Assisi. 


4 


MATTEO  DI  GIOVANNI 
Born  in  Siena  about  1435.    Died  in  Siena,  1495.    Pupil  of  Do- 
menico  di  Bartolo.    Influenced  by  Sano  di  Pietro.    The  most 
important  Sienese  painter  of  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury.   Worked  only  in  Siena. 

4.    VIRGIN  AND  CHILD,  WITH  SS.  BERNARDINO  AND 

CATHERINE  OF  SIENA 

The  half-length  figure  of  the  Virgin  is  turned  slightly  to  the  right 
so  that  she  may  the  more  easily  hold  the  Christ  Child,  whom 
she  supports  with  both  hands.  The  Child  is  clad  in  a  transparent 
tunic  of  fine  white  material  with  a  narrow  line  of  embroidery  at 
the  neck.  The  Virgin  wears  a  blue  mantle  over  a  red  gown,  both 
bordered  with  gold.  On  her  right  shoulder  is  the  customary 
golden  star.  Behind  the  Virgin  on  the  left  is  St.  Bernardino  (or 
St.  Antoninus,  according  to  Hartlaub),  dressed  in  a  gray  Fran- 
ciscan robe  and  holding  an  inscribed  tablet  and  a  reed-like  cross. 
On  the  right  is  St.  Catherine,  her  head  covered  with  a  white 
wimple.  She  holds  a  book  and  a  lily.  The  background  and 
halos  are  of  gold  tooled  in  patterns.  The  halo  of  the  Virgin  is 
inscribed  REGINA-CELI-LETARE-ALLE  ■  *  ■  Around  the 
semicircular  head  of  the  panel  is  the  inscription  AVE  1  MARIA 
STELLA  "  DEI  '  MAT  ■   ■  ' 

Tempera  on  panel,  round-topped.  In  the  original  frame.  Height, 
29  inches;  width,  20^  inches. 

Painted  about  1470-80.  Compare  G.  F.  Hartlaub,  "Matteoda 
Siena,"  Strassburg,  1910,  p.  76,  plate  VIII— where  the  picture  is 
reproduced  as  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  F.  Mason  Perkins. 


NERROCCIO  DI  BARTOLOMMEO  LAND  I 

Born  in  Siena  in  1447;  died  there  in  isoo.  Influenced  by  Vec- 
chietta  and  Francesco  di  Giorgio.  Worked  in  Siena.  Sculptor 
and  Painter. 

5.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

Half-length  figure  of  the  Virgin,  who  holds  the  Child  on  her  right 
arm  and  bends  her  head  toward  his.  She  wears  a  gold  and 
orange-colored  dress  with  a  dark  blue  mantle  which  covers  her 
head.  In  the  halo  around  her  head  the  inscription  AVE  MARIA 
GRATI[A].  The  Child,  with  smiling  face  and  blonde  curling  hair, 
looks  up  to  her  and  holds  a  toy  in  his  right  hand.  He  wears  a 
gold  shirt  ornamented  with  embroidery.    Gold  background. 

Tempera  on  panel.  In  the  original  frame.  Height,  i$}4  inches; 
width,  12%  inches. 

Early  work  under  the  influence  of  Vecchietta. 


6 


JACOPO  ROBUSTI,  CALLED  TINTORETTO 
Born  in  Venice  in  1518.  Died  there  in  1594.  Pupil  of  Titian. 
Influenced  by  Michelangelo.  Worked  in  Venice.  Next  to  Titian 
and  Veronese  the  most  important  painter  in  Venice  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Painter  of  portraits,  religious  and 
allegorical  subjects. 

6.    SCENE  FROM  THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

At  the  right  of  the  picture  St.  Helen,  clad  in  a  golden  brown  im- 
perial mantle  over  a  rose-colored  dress  and  wearing  a  high  crown, 
stands  with  right  hand  upraised  directing  the  work  of  excavation. 
In  the  foreground,  a  little  to  the  left,  a  turbaned  laborer  clothed  in 
a  red  robe  over  pink,  is  lifting  from  the  ground  a  cross  which  he 
holds  in  both  arms.  In  the  middle  distance  between  the  saint 
and  the  laborer  stand  three  men  in  flowing  robes  and  turbans  of 
blue  and  brown.  At  the  extreme  left  of  the  picture  two  workmen 
hold  the  other  two  crosses  which  have  just  been  dug  up.  In  the 
far  distance  the  suggestion  of  a  river  and  a  landscape.  Golden 
brown,  rose,  and  yellow-green  predominate  in  the  color. 

Canvas.    Height,  8%  inches;  width,  19  inches. 

A  sketch  by  Tintoretto  for  a  predella  panel.  He  treated  the  same 
subject  as  an  altarpiece  in  St.  Maria  Mater  Domini  in  Venice. 
(Reproduced  in  Thode,  "Tintoretto,"  p.  6). 


7 


» 


JACOPO  ROBUSTI,  CALLED  TINTORETTO 

7.    SCENE  FROM  THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

In  the  right  center  St.  Helen,  again  clad  in  a  rose-colored  dress, 
imperial  mantle,  and  golden  crown,  directs  two  turbaned  laborers 
at  her  right,  who  are  carrying  the  dead  body  of  a  man  toward 
the  true  cross,  the  shaft  of  which  is  seen  at  the  extreme  left  of 
the  panel,  supported  by  a  man  wearing  a  short  yellowish  tunic 
over  a  rose-colored  under-coat.  At  the  left  of  the  saint  another 
laborer,  dressed  in  a  whitish  robe,  with  his  back  turned  toward  the 
spectator,  holds  a  second  cross,  while  in  the  background  at  the 
right  of  St.  Helen  the  third  cross  is  seen  in  the  arms  of  a  workman. 
Behind  this  group  at  the  extreme  right  are  two  spectators.  In 
the  background  at  the  left  a  clustered  column  with  suggestions  of 
a  gloomy  landscape  beyond. 

Canvas.  Height,  8%  inches;  width,  19  inches.  A  companion 
sketch  to  the  preceding  panel. 


8 


ATTRIBUTED  TO  BERNARDO  STROZZI 

Born  in  Genoa,  1581 ;  died  at  Venice,  1644.  Pupil  of  Pietro  Torri 
at  Genoa.  Worked  mostly  at  Genoa,  later  in  Venice.  Painter 
of  genre  scenes  and  religious  compositions,  of  portraits  and  still 
life.    Also  an  engraver. 

8.    PORTRAIT  OF  A  CAVALIER  IN  ARMOR,  SAID  TO 

BE  ADMIRAL  TINZINI 

Three-quarter  length.  He  wears  armor  of  a  greenish-brown 
color  and  a  red  belt,  with  lace  ruff  and  cuffs.  Green-brown 
curtains  behind  him.  Books  and  mariner's  instruments  on  a  table 
to  the  left. 

Canvas.  Frame  of  the  period.  Height,  40  inches;  width,  33K 
inches. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  a  convincing  attribution  to  this  broadly  and 
expressively  painted  work,  which  is  undoubtedly  of  the  Genoese 
school  of  the  early  seventeenth  century.  Until  a  better  name  is 
found,  that  of  Strozzi,  the  best  artist  in  the  city  during  the  period, 
may  be  accepted,  as  has  been  suggested  by  Dr.  Bode. 


9 


DUTCH  PAINTINGS 


ANTONIO  MORO,  CALLED  SIR  ANTHONY  MOORE 


Born  at  Utrecht  about  15 12.  In  1547  member  of  the  St.  Lucas 
Guild  in  Antwerp.  Died  between  1576  and  1578.  Pupil  of  Jan 
Scoorel.  Worked  in  Holland,  England,  France  and  Spain.  Court 
painter  to  the  King  of  Spain.    Painter  of  portraits  and  religious 

scenes. 

9.    PORTRAIT  OF  A  MAN 

Three-quarter  length,  turned  to  the  right,  with  dark  eyes  looking 
at  the  spectator.  Dark  moustache  and  beard;  black  costume  and 
bonnet;  small  ruff  and  cuffs.  He  holds  a  pair  of  gloves  in  his 
left  hand  and  rests  the  other  on  a  skull.  Dark  neutral  back- 
ground. 

Panel.  Frame  of  the  period.  Height,  32^  inches;  width,  25K 
inches. 

Painted  about  1560-70.  The  portrait  seems  to  represent  a  Span- 
ish nobleman,  and  was  very  likely  executed  by  Moro  during  his 
stay  in  Madrid. 


12 


ANTONIO  MORO,  CALLED  SIR  ANTHONY  MOORE 


10.    PORTRAIT  OF  A  WOMAN 

Three-quarter  length,  slightly  turned  to  the  left  and  looking 
out  of  the  picture  at  the  spectator.  Pale,  oval  face,,  with  promi- 
nent nose  and  dark  eyes  and  hair.  She  wears  a  small  semi-ruff 
and  tight-fitting  mulberry-colored  velvet  bodice  with  short  puffed 
sleeves  trimmed  with  fur.  Her  skirt  is  of  the  same  red  velvet, 
opening  down  the  front  to  show  an  underskirt  in  white  and  gold 
brocade.  Her  long,  tight-fitting  undersleeves  are  of  white  satin 
embroidered  in  gold,  similar  material  showing  also  at  the  neck. 
She  wears  a  fur  tippet  with  jeweled  ends,  and  a  chain,  brooch, 
girdle,  bracelets  and  rings  of  gold  thickly  set  with  jewels.  She 
holds  the  elaborate  pendant  ornament  of  the  girdle  in  her  left 
hand.    On  her  head  a  jeweled  coif. 

Panel.  Height,  33  inches;  width,  2sK  inches.  Companion 
picture  to  the  preceding. 


'3 


SPANISH  PAINTINGS 


ALONSO  SANCHEZ  COELLO 

Born  at  Benifayro  near  Valencia,  Spain,  in  1 5 1  died  at  Madrid 
in  1 590.  Pupil  of  Antonio  Moro.  School  of  Madrid.  Portrait 
painter. 

1  1 .    PORTRAIT  OF  A  NOBLEWOMAN  (CALLED  THE 

"GIRL  IN  RED") 

Full  length  figure.  She  is  standing  near  a  table  upon  which  she 
rests  her  right  hand,  in  which  she  holds  a  fan.  In  the  other  is  a 
lace  handkerchief.  She  wears  a  white  lace  ruff  and  stiff  red  dress 
decorated  with  gold  bands.  Diagonally  across  her  breast  is  the 
chain  of  an  order.    Behind  her  a  dark  green  curtain. 

Canvas.  Italian  frame  of  the  period  elaborately  decorated  in 
gilded  gesso,  surmounted  by  a  pediment  with  a  painted  medallion 
of  God  the  Father  and  on  either  side  the  Virgin  Annunciate  and 
the  Angel  Gabriel.    Height,  79K  inches;  width,  inches. 

Exhibited  in  the  Copley  Hall  Exhibition,  Boston,  191 2;  Cata- 
logue No.  13.  Paintings  by  Coello  in  the  same  style  in  the 
Madrid  and  Vienna  Galleries. 


10 


EL  GRECO  (DOMENICO  THEOTOKOPULI 
CALLED  EL  GRECO) 

Born  in  Crete  about  1547.  Died  at  Toledo  in  1625.  Pupil  of 
Titian  at  Venice.  Influenced  also  by  Tintoretto  and  Michelangelo. 
Lived  and  worked  in  Toledo  after  1576.  Painter  of  portraits, 
historical  subjects,  landscapes  and  genre  scenes. 

12.    SAINT  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI 

The  head  and  shoulders  of  the  Saint  are  shown  turned  in  profile 
to  the  left.  Francis  is  praying,  his  eyes  cast  down  in  devotion, 
his  left  hand  held  on  his  heart.  He  wears  a  gray  mantle,  the 
cowl  of  which  has  fallen  back.  Rays  from  heaven  appear  in  the 
upper  corner  at  the  left. 

Canvas.  Elaborate  frame  contemporary  with  the  picture.  Height, 
10  inches;  width,  8K  inches. 

Of  El  Greco's  middle  period,  about  1596-1604.  Although  there 
is  no  trace  of  the  Stigmata  discernible,  it  appears  likely  that 
Francis  is  the  saint  represented,  on  comparison  with  similar 
paintings  in  the  collections  of  D.  J.  Moret  and  the  Marquis  de 
Castro  Serna  in  Madrid  (Cossio,  II,  No.  100  and  101). 


17 


MAZO  (JUAN  BATTISTA  DEL  MAZO  MARTINEZ) 

Born  at  Madrid  about  1610;  died  there  in  1687.  Educated  in  the 
school  of  Velasquez,  whose  daughter  he  afterward  married,  and 
whom  he  succeeded  as  court  painter  to  Philip  IV.  Mazo's  works 
are  frequently  confused  with  those  of  Velasquez.  Painter  of 
portraits  and  landscapes. 

13.    THE  INFANTA  MARGARITA  (DAUGHTER  OF  KING 
PHILIP  IV  AND  MARIANA  OF  AUSTRIA) 

Three-quarter  length,  slightly  turned  to  the  left.  She  is  about 
seven  years  old  and  wears  a  tight-waisted,  full-skirted  costume 
of  greenish  silk  with  pink  ribbons.  The  hair  is  parted  on  the 
right  and  falls  loose  to  the  shoulders.  It  is  fastened  with  a  pink 
ribbon  on  her  left  temple.  The  right  hand  rests  on  a  table;  the 
left  holds  a  fan  which  is  only  partly  seen. 

Canvas.  Elaborately  carved  frame  of  the  period.  Height,  28K 
inches;  width,  2VA  inches. 

Velasquez  painted  the  same  princess  three  times;  first  at  about 
the  age  of  three,  a  picture  now  in  Vienna;  second  at  the  age  of 
four,  now  in  the  Louvre;  and  third  at  about  the  age  of  seven, 
also  in  Vienna.  Ours  does  not  correspond  exactly  with  any  of 
these.  The  position  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  portrait 
in  the  Louvre,  while  the  face  resembles  that  of  the  later  Vienna 
portrait.  This  is  very  likely  one  of  the  portraits  intended  as  a 
gift  from  the  Spanish  King  to  some  other  European  Court,  and 
was  probably  painted  in  Velasquez's  studio.  The  late  A.  de  Ber- 
ruette  was  the  first  to  attribute  the  work  to  Mazo.  As  the 
princess  was  born  in  165 1,  the  painting  was  executed  about  1658. 


[8 


ITALIAN  SCULPTURES 
MARBLE 
TERRACOTTA  AND  STUCCO 


MINO  DA  FIESOLE 

Born  at  Poppi,  1431;  died  in  Florence  in  1484.  Pupil  of  Desi- 
derio  da  Settignano.  Worked  in  Florence  and  Rome.  Sculp- 
tor of  portrait  busts  and  reliefs.  Among  his  most  important 
works  are  the  tombs  in  the  Badia  at  Florence  and  in  St.  Peter's 
and  St.  Maria  sopra  Minerva  in  Rome. 

14.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

The  half-length  figure  of  the  Madonna  is  seen  in  profile  turned 
toward  the  left,  her  hands  folded  in  adoration  of  the  sleeping 
Child,  who  half  sits,  half  reclines  on  a  pillow  before  her,  his  head 
resting  drowsily  on  his  left  hand.  With  his  right  hand  he  holds 
a  long  scroll  and  at  the  same  time  points  with  his  forefinger  to 
the  inscription  thereon  EGO  •  DORMIO  ■  TE  ■  COR  ■  MEUM  ■ 
VIG1LAT'  The  Child  is  naked  save  for  a  slight  drapery,  the 
Madonna  clothed  in  a  veil  which  covers  her  head  and  is  edged 
with  a  reeded  border.  The  sleeves  of  her  dress  are  of  fine 
material,  fastened  by  little  buttons  on  the  under  side  of  the  arm. 

Middle  relief,  marble.    Height,  iy/2  inches;  width,  17%  inches. 

This  relief  is  undoubtedly  by  the  same  hand  as  the  Crucifixion  in 
S.  Balbina  and  the  Ciborium  in  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  both  in  Rome 
(compare  especially  the  Nativity  and  Adoration  of  the  Child  and 
the  relief  of  the  Virgin,  signed  "Opus  Mini"  in  the  latter  work). 
Both  of  these  have  been  published  by  Dr.  Bode  (Denkmaler  der 
Renaissance  Sculptur  in  Toscana)  as  two  of  the  most  important 
works  executed  by  Mino  da  Fiesole  during  his  stay  in  Rome.  This 
relief  was  probably  made  at  about  the  same  time,  c.  1460-70. 


20 


FOLLOWER  OF  MICHELANGELO 

FLORENTINE,  ABOUT  IS20-30 

15.    A  YOUTH 

Nude  figure  standing  languidly  with  the  right  foot  and  left  arm 
set  back  in  contraposition,  the  left  foot  placed  forward,  the  right 
hand,  in  which  a  stone  is  held,  bent  in  front  of  the  breast.  The 
youth  rests  his  left  hand  on  a  dolphin  beside  him,  and  stands  on 
a  low  plinth. 

Full  round,  nearly  life  size,  marble.    Height,  51^  inches. 

This  figure  was  undoubtedly  made  by  a  Florentine  artist  about 
1520-30  under  the  influence  of  the  early  works  of  Michelangelo. 
The  elegant  pose  reminds  one  of  the  Giovannino  in  the  Berlin 
Museum.  There  are  also  resemblances  to  the  works  of  Domenico 
Poggini,  although  this  figure  seems  less  stiff  than  the  signed 
works  of  that  sculptor. 


2 1 


GIOVANNI  DA  BOLOGNA 

Born  at  Douai,  1534;  died  in  1608.  Worked  in  Florence,  Bologna 
and  other  Italian  cities.  One  of  the  most  important  sculptors  in 
Italy  during  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

16.    CROUCHING  VENUS 

The  nude  goddess  kneels  as  though  just  coming  from  the  bath. 
Her  right  hand  is  raised  across  her  breast  as  if  to  comb  her  long 
hair,  the  lower  end  of  which  is  held  in  her  left  hand.  Her  right 
knee  rests  on  the  floor,  with  the  left  leg  half  bent.  Her  head  is 
turned  so  that  she  can  glance  back  over  her  right  shoulder.  The 
figure  appears  to  make  almost  a  complete  turn  and  is  sculptured 
so  that  it  can  be  seen  with  equal  advantage  from  all  sides. 

Alabaster.    Full  round,  nearly  life  size.    Height,  39  inches. 

Exhibited  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  New  York,  1910. 


22 


ATTRIBUTED  TO  ANDREA  DELLA  ROBBIA 

Born  in  Florence  in  1435;  died  in  France  in  1325.  Nephew  of 
Luca  della  Robbia,  and  his  pupil.  While  Luca  worked  mostly  in 
Florence,  the  works  of  Andrea  are  distributed  all  over  Tuscany. 

17.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

Half-length  figure  of  the  Virgin  carrying  on  her  left  arm  the  nude 
Christ  Child  while  with  her  right  hand  she  gently  supports  his 
body.  She  bends  her  head  toward  his  but  turns  her  eyes  down- 
ward. The  Child  raises  his  right  hand  in  an  attitude  of  benedic- 
tion and  clasps  a  bird  in  his  left.  His  eyes  are  turned  toward 
his  mother.  Both  Virgin  and  Child  have  halos.  The  figures 
are  covered  with  white  enamel,  the  eyes  painted  in  with  man- 
ganese purple.  The  background  is  of  light  blue  enamel.  Frame 
ornamented  with  the  classical  egg-and-dart  moulding  in  white. 

High  relief,  tondo,  enameled  terracotta.    Diameter,  21^  inches. 

Under  the  name  of  Andrea  della  Robbia  in  the  collection  of  Baron 
Lanna  in  Prague,  sold  in  Berlin  in  1909;  Catalogue  No.  472  and 
plate  No.  40.  Professor  Allan  Marquand  ("Della  Robbias  in 
America,"  19 12,  No.  67,  with  reproduction)  calls  attention  to  the 
similarity  between  this  Madonna  and  that  in  Giovanni  della  Rob- 
bia's  lunette  in  S.  Maria  Novella,  and  to  the  still  closer  resemblance 
this  bears  to  the  work  of  Benedetto  da  Majano.  He  attributes  it 
to  a  follower  of  the  latter  and  thinks  it  may  possibly  be  an  early 
work  of  Giovanni's.  Among  the  works  from  the  studio  of  the 
Delia  Robbias,  this  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  charming  and 
important  owned  in  this  country. 


STYLE  OF  ANDREA  DELLA  ROBBIA 
PROBABLY   BENEDETTO  BUGLIONI 

FLORENTINE,   LATE  XV  CENTURY 

i  8.    MADONNA  ADORING  THE  CHILD,  WITH  AN  ANGEL 

The  Madonna  kneels  to  the  right  with  folded  hands  looking  down 
at  the  Child,  who  lies  in  a  restless  position  to  the  left  and  raises 
his  hands  to  her.  An  angel  on  the  extreme  left  supports  the 
infant  Christ.  Both  look  toward  the  Madonna.  Around  the 
medallion  a  heavy  garland  of  flowers  and  fruit.  The  figures  in 
white  upon  a  light  blue  ground.  The  garland  chiefly  in  green 
and  yellow. 

High  relief,  tondo,  enameled  terracotta.    Diameter,  37  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Molinier  Collection  in  Paris,  reproduced  as 
frontispiece  in  the  catalogue.  Described  by  A.  Marquand: 
"Delia  Robbias  in  America,"  No.  56.  Professor  Marquand  has 
rightly  observed  that  the  composition  occurs  again  in  a  similar 
execution  in  the  lunette  of  the  altar-piece  in  the  church  of  San 
Gimignano  at  Antona,  near  Massa  Carrara,  a  work  which  has 
been  plausibly  attributed  to  Benedetto  Buglioni.  He  further 
mentions  that  in  the  Museum  at  Berlin,  in  the  Vieweg  Collection 
in  Braunschweig,  and  in  the  Watts  Collection  at  Guildford  are 
medallions  by  the  same  hand  as  ours. 


24 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  MADONNA  OF  THE  LILIES 

Late  fifteenth  century  Florentine  artist  working  in  the  atelier  of 
the  Delia  Robbias.  Influenced  especially  by  Antonio  Rossellino, 
sometimes  by  Desiderio  da  Settignano  and  Benedetto  da  Majano. 

19.    MADONNA  OF  THE  LILIES  SUCKLING  THE  CHILD 

Half-length  figure  of  the  Virgin  holding  the  Child  with  both  hands 
to  her  left  breast;  she  looks  downward,  her  head  turned  toward 
the  right.  Both  Mother  and  Child  have  halos.  Behind  the  Virgin 
the  suggestion  of  a  landscape  and  two  stalks  of  lilies.  The  figures 
are  white  with  touches  of  manganese  on  the  eyes;  the  background 
is  light  blue. 

Middle  relief,  tondo,  enameled  terracotta.    Diameter,  28  inches. 

Described  by  A.  Marquand:  "Delia  Robbias  in  America,"  No. 
65,  with  reproduction.  Professor  Marquand  has  grouped  the 
works  of  this  master  together  and  attributed  to  him  in  this  country 
the  Madonna  from  the  Hainauer  Collection  in  Mr.  Charles  P. 
Taft's  possession  and  another  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Henry 
Walters  in  Baltimore. 


ATELIER  OF  THE  DELLA  ROBBIAS, 

FLORENTINE,  ABOUT  I  5OO 

20.    PAIR  OF  DOLPHIN-HANDLED  VASES 

The  vases  resemble  somewhat  an  antique  amphora  in  form. 
Around  the  neck  and  on  the  shoulders  of  each  is  a  scale  pattern, 
while  the  upper  part  of  the  body  is  encircled  by  a  band  of  interlac- 
ing strap-work.  The  lower  part  of  the  body  is  covered  with  gad- 
rooning.  Two  handles  in  the  form  of  dolphins.  A  removable 
bunch  of  fruit  and  leaves  is  set  in  each  vase.  The  vase  is  blue, 
the  fruit  and  foliage  yellow,  green  and  manganese. 

Enameled  terracotta.    Height,  1 8  inches. 

Similar  vases,  mostly  without  the  bouquets  of  fruit,  are  in  the 
Berlin,  South  Kensington,  and  other  museums.  Described  by 
A.  Marquand:  "Delia  Robbias  in  America,"  No.  47-30.  Pro- 
fessor Marquand  refers  to  two  altar-pieces  by  Giovanni  della 
Robbia,  where  similar  vases  appear  as  part  of  the  frames. 


26 


ITALIAN  (FLORENTINE?)  ARTIST  OF  THE  FIRST 
HALF  OF  THE  XV  CENTURY 

Near  in  style  to  the  so-called  Master  of  the  Pellegrini  Chapel. 
21.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

The  Virgin  holds  the  Christ  Child  seated  on  her  left  arm,  wrapped 
in  the  folds  of  her  blue  and  gold  head-scarf;  the  Virgin's  gown, 
like  the  Child's  tunic,  is  vermilion  patterned  with  gold.  Repre- 
sented.in  half  figure;  on  a  base  with  "A.  M."  in  monogram  sup- 
ported by  two  cherubs  between  two  shield-like  projections. 

High  relief.  Stucco.  Polychromed  and  gilded.  Height,  20 
inches. 

Several  examples  are  known  of  this  relief:  at  Basio  in  Reggio 
Emilia,  Casa  Scaluccia  (Venturi,  "L'Arte,"  1908,  p.  300);  in  the 
Museo  Nazionale,  Florence;  in  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum, 
Berlin;  in  the  Louvre,  Paris;  and  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum, 
New  York.  An  analogous  stucco  in  the  collection  of  Baron 
Tucher,  Vienna,  is  ascribed  by  C.  von  Fabriczy  to  the  Master  of 
the  Pellegrini  Chapel.  Venturi  attributes  a  like  example  in  the 
Berlin  Museum  and  other  similar  pieces  to  a  Florentine  of  the 
popular  school,  contemporary  with  the  early  development  of 
Luca  della  Robbia  (Storia  del  arte  italiana,  1908,  VI,  p.  228). 


27 


ITALIAN  (FLORENTINE?)  ARTIST  OF  THE  XV  CENTURY 

WORKING  AFTER  BENEDETTO  DA  MAJANO!  FLORENTINE,  1 442- 1 479 


22.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD  WITH  ST.  JOHN 

Behind  a  balustrade  the  Virgin  is  seen  in  three-quarter  length 
slightly  turned  to  the  left  holding  the  nude  Christ  Child.  The 
young  St.  John  on  the  left  looks  upward  in  adoration.  In  front  of 
the  balustrade  is  a  large  cherub  head  with  wings  in  red  and  gold. 

Middle  relief,  colored  stucco.  Height,  30K  inches;  width,  22 
inches. 

This  stucco  exists  in  several  replicas  and  is  executed  after  a  com- 
position by  Benedetto  da  Majano. 


ITALIAN  (FLORENTINE?)  ARTIST  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 

WORKING  AFTER  LUCA  DELLA  ROBBIA!  FLORENTINE,  I  399- 1 482 

23.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

The  Virgin  is  sitting  in  profile  facing  the  left  and  holds  the  Child 
on  her  lap.  In  the  background  the  suggestion  of  a  tree.  Frame 
with  a  nude  putto  on  each  side  holding  a  garland  above  his  head. 
A  cartouche  on  the  top  of  the  frame  and  a  cherub's  head  at  the 
bottom. 

Middle  relief,  stucco,  painted.  Height,  30  inches;  width,  21 
inches. 

The  original  in  glazed  terracotta  after  which  this  stucco  is  executed 
exists  in  several  replicas,  one  of  the  best  being  in  the  Beckerath 
Collection  in  Berlin.  The  frame  proves  that  this  replica  was  ex- 
ecuted in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

28 


ITALIAN  ARTIST  OF  THE  XVII  CENTURY 


24.    MADONNA  AND  CHILD 

The  Virgin,  clad  in  a  white  mantle  and  a  flowing  veil,  is  seated 
on  a  stone  bench.  With  her  right  arm  she  holds  the  nude  Child, 
who  stands  with  one  leg  on  the  bench  and  the  other  on  the  lap 
of  the  Virgin,  who  clasps  his  foot  in  her  left  hand.  He  embraces 
his  mother  with  both  arms  and  looks  up  into  her  eyes. 

Stucco,  full  round,  unfinished  at  the  back;  one-third  life  size. 
Remains  of  paint  on  the  costume  of  the  Virgin.  Height,  26 
inches. 


29 


ITALIAN  SCULPTURES 

BRONZE 


\ 


PADUAN  ARTIST  OF  THE  XV  CENTURY 
NEAR  IN  STYLE  TO  BARTOLOMEO  BELLANO 


25.    YOUNG  SATYR  WITH  CYMBALS 

The  nude  satyr  stands  on  a  roughly  wrought  base  with  a  tree- 
stump  at  the  right.  He  rests  on  his  right  leg  with  his  left 
slightly  bent  at  the  knee.  His  right  hand  is  lowered  toward  his 
side  while  his  left  is  raised  in  the  air  as  though  about  to  clash  the 
cymbals  which  are  fastened  to  his  hands.  The  upper  part  of  his 
body  is  turned  toward  the  right,  with  the  head  bent  down  in  the 
same  direction.    He  looks  smilingly  toward  the  ground. 

Statuette,  bronze,  natural  patina.    Height,  8  inches. 
Free  version  of  the  classical  statue  in  the  Uffizi,  Florence. 


32 


RICCIO  (ANDREA  BRIOSCO,  CALLED  RICCIO) 

Born  in  1470,  at  Padua;  died  there  in  1532.  Most  important 
master  working  in  bronze  statuettes,  plaquettes  and  medals  in 
Northern  Italy  in  the  Quattrocento. 

26.    TWO  SATYRS  PLAYING  BALL 

Two  nude  satyrs  with  shaggy  goat-legs.  Their  heads,  with  curly 
hair  and  double-pointed  beards,  are  turned  toward  each  other  and 
thrown  back  laughingly.  The  one  has  his  right  arm  raised  as  if 
to  throw  a  missing  ball,  the  other  stretches  up  his  left  arm  as  if 
to  catch  it. 

Statuettes,  bronze,  gilt.    Height,  8  inches. 

Replicas  of  these  figures  are  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  William 
Bennett  in  London  (exhibited  in  the  Burlington  Club,  191 2,  Cata- 
logue Maclagan,  Nos.  65  and  69),  differing  only  in  that  they 
are  connected  by  a  chain  and  retain  the  ball  missing  in  our  ex- 
ample. 


33 


FLORENTINE  ARTIST  OF  THE  END  OF 
THE  XV  CENTURY 


27.  MARSYAS 

Nude  figure,  standing  on  a  plinth.  He  rests  on  the  right  foot 
with  the  left  drawn  slightly  backward,  and  originally  held  in  both 
hands  a  flute  which  is  now  missing.    Thick,  roughly  curled  hair. 

Statuette,  gilt  bronze.    Height,  1 1  inches. 

This  statuette  resembles  in  style  the  works  by  Antonio  Pollaiuolo 
and  Bellano,  except  in  that  it  is  treated  in  a  more  decorative  way. 
As  the  holes  in  the  body  and  pedestal  show,  the  figure  was 
attached  to  a  casket  or  larger  group  by  screws. 

FLORENTINE  ARTIST  OF  THE  MIDDLE  OF 
THE  XVI  CENTURY 

28.  ANATOMICAL  FIGURE 

A  standing  male  figure,  nude,  the  left  arm  raised  above  the  head, 
the  right  arm  lowered  to  grasp  the  upper  end  of  a  club  which 
rests  on  the  ground  between  the  feet. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Dark  lacquered  patina.    Height,  7K  inches. 

Similar  figures  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum,  the  Louvre, 
the  Berlin  Museum,  in  the  collection  of  Seymour  Haden  and 
elsewhere.  Formerly  statuettes  of  this  type  were  attributed  to 
Michelangelo  or  his  pupils  Marco  Agrate  and  Cigoli.  In  the 
Renaissance  they  were  considered  not  only  as  anatomical  studies, 
but  also  as  "memento  mori,"  representing  the  dead  raised  for 
judgment.  Compare  Maclagan's  catalogue  of  the  exhibition  in 
the  Burlington  Club,  1912. 
Formerly  in  the  Mannheim  Collection,  Paris. 


34 


FRANCESCO  DA  SANT'  AGATA 
Sculptor  in  bronze.   Worked  in  Verona  and  Padua  about  1490- 

I520(?). 

29.    A  DROWSY  YOUTH 

The  nude  figure  is  resting  on  the  right  foot,  with  the  left  drawn 
back.  Both  arms  are  crossed  above  the  head,  which  is  slightly 
turned  to  the  left.    The  eyes  are  half  closed. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Light  brown  patina.    Height,  8  inches. 

The  only  signed  statuette  by  Francesco  da  Sant'  Agata  is  one  in 
boxwood  in  the  Wallace  Collection.  Based  on  this  work,  Dr. 
Bode  has  assigned  to  the  artist  a  number  of  bronze  statuettes, 
mostly  influenced  by  classical  works,  including  this  one.  It  has 
rightly  been  suggested  that  the  artist  was  influenced  in  this 
composition  by  one  of  the  classical  statues  of  Hypnos.  Although 
the  cast  is  not  one  of  the  earliest,  it  cannot  be  later  than  the 
eighteenth  century.  Other  replicas  of  the  same  figure  are  in  the 
Berlin  Museum,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan  and  in 
private  possession  in  Munich. 
Formerly  in  the  Mannheim  Collection,  Paris. 


3S 


PADUAN  ARTIST  OF  THE  XV  CENTURY 
FOLLOWER  OF  DONATELLO 


30.    INKSTAND  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  CASKET 

Oblong  in  form,  resting  on  claw  and  ball  feet  surmounted  by  the 
grotesque  bodies  and  heads  of  bearded  old  men.  Decorated  on 
the  sides  with  centaurs  ridden  by  nymphs  and  supporting  garlands 
enclosing  portrait  heads  of  young  men  in  high  relief;  at  the  ends 
Gorgon  heads  and  on  the  lid  full-length  cupids  holding  ribbons 
which  bind  a  garland  enclosing,  in  the  form  of  a  medallion,  a 
Gorgon  head. 

Bronze,  dark  patina.  Height,  4  inches;  length,  inches; 
breadth,  inches. 

An  almost  identical  inkstand  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan,  illustrated  in  Dr.  Bode's  catalogue,  No.  68,  Plate  XLI. 
It  exists  in  several  replicas  and  is  usually  ascribed  to  Caradosso. 
However,  Dr.  Bode  states  rightly  that  the  work  is  more  in  the 
style  of  the  school  of  Donatello  and  does  not  show  much  similarity 
to  the  known  works  of  Caradosso. 
Formerly  in  the  Mannheim  Collection,  Paris. 


36 


I 


MANNER  OF  DOMENICO  POGGINI 

Born  in  Florence  about  1525;  died  after  1589.  Pupil  of  Benve- 
nuto  Cellini.  Influenced  by  Michelangelo.  He  was  a  goldsmith, 
medallist,  and  sculptor  in  bronze  and  marble. 

31.    A  GLADIATOR 

Full-length,  nude  man  of  slim  proportions,  upright,  as  if  striding 
forward,  his  right  leg  advanced,  his  head,  with  thick  hair,  turned 
to  the  left.  He  grasps  with  his  right  hand  a  sword,  which  he  is 
drawing  from  the  scabbard  held  in  his  left. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Brown  lacquered  patina.    Height,  8  inches. 

Replica  with  variations  in  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan's  Collection, 
described  in  Dr.  W.  Bode's  catalogue,  No.  128,  and  in  the  cata- 
logue of  the  exhibition  of  the  Burlington  Club,  191 2.    The  cor- 
rect attribution  due  to  Dr.  Bode. 
Formerly  in  the  Mannheim  Collection,  Paris. 


37 


MANNER  OF  DOMENICO  POGGINI 

MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

32.    MAN  CARRYING  A  CHILD 

Full-length,  nude  figure  of  a  tall  man  of  muscular  build  with  mas- 
sive throat;  his  head  and  whole  body  are  turned  to  the  left.  He 
strides  forward  with  the  left  leg  in  advance,  carrying  a  child  on 
his  left  shoulder  and  resting  his  right  hand,  in  which  he  holds  a 
cloth,  on  his  hip.  The  child  lays  his  right  hand  upon  the  man's 
head  and  looks  down  confidingly;  in  his  left  hand  he  holds  an 
apple;  his  upper  arm  is  grasped  by  the  left  hand  of  the  man. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Dark  brown  patina.    Height,  9%  inches. 

A  similar  figure  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  (cata- 
logue of  Dr.  W.  Bode,  No.  1291).  The  attribution  due  to  Dr. 
Bode. 

Formerly  in  the  Hainauer  Collection,  Berlin. 


38 


GIOVANNI  DA  BOLOGNA 

Sculptor,  born  at  Douai,  1 534;  died  in  1 608.  Worked  in  Florence, 
Bologna,  and  other  Italian  cities.  One  of  the  most  important 
sculptors  in  Italy  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  (See 
Number  16). 

33.    HERCULES  AND  THE  ARCADIAN  STAG 

The  nude  Hercules  struggles  with  the  stag,  grasping  the  neck 
of  the  animal  with  his  left  hand  and  bending  back  its  antlers 
with  his  right.  The  deer  stands  on  its  hind  legs  with  head  thrown 
back  and  open  mouth,  as  if  crying  in  anguish.  Hercules  is  rep- 
resented as  a  fully  matured  man  with  thick  neck  and  bushy  hair 
and  beard. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Light  brown  patina.    Height,  14K  inches. 

Part  of  a  series  of  the  ' '  Labors  of  Hercules. "  An  identical  group 
in  the  Wallace  Collection,  illustrated  in  Dr.  Bode's  "Italian  Bronze 
Statuettes,"  Vol.  Ill,  No.  CXCIX.  One  of  the  masterpieces 
among  Giovanni  da  Bologna's  bronze  statuettes. 


39 


MANNER  OF  GIOVANNI  DA  BOLOGNA 

LATTER  PART  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 

34.    VENUS  AT  THE  BATH 

The  nude  Venus  rests  her  left  arm  on  a  slender  classic  vase,  which 
stands  beside  her  on  a  pedestal  partly  covered  with  drapery.  The 
weight  of  her  body  is  borne  on  her  right  leg,  her  left  being  crossed 
in  front  of  her  so  that  she  may  the  more  easily  remove  her  sandal 
with  her  right  hand.    Her  hair  is  elaborately  dressed. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Black  patina.    Height,  9  inches. 

After  a  classical  statue.  Quite  in  style  of  the  acknowledged  works 
of  Giovanni  da  Bologna,  showing  the  same  motive  as  the  statuettes 
reproduced  in  Dr.  Bode's  "Italian  Bronze  Statuettes,"  Vol.  III. 


40 


SCHOOL  OF  GIOVANNI  DA  BOLOGNA 

LATTER  PART  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 

35.    EQUESTRIAN    STATUETTE    OF    HENRY    IV  OF 

FRANCE 

The  king,  who  is  in  complete  armor  save  for  his  head,  which  is 
uncovered,  rides  a  steed  which  prances  on  its  hind  legs  as  though 
suddenly  reined  back.  The  king  looks  down  toward  the  ground 
at  the  right  as  if  an  enemy  were  lying  at  the  feet  of  the  horse. 
In  his  right  hand  Henry  holds  a  short  sword,  while  his  left  grasps 
the  bridle  reins,  with  which  he  pulls  back  the  head  of  the  horse. 
The  king  is  bearded,  as  in  his  best  known  portraits. 

Bronze.    Brown  patina.    Height,  7  inches. 


4« 


JACOPO  SANSOVINO 

Born  in  Venice  in  i486;  died  there  in  1 570.  Worked  in  Florence, 
Rome  and  Venice.  Most  important  sculptor  in  Venice  during 
the  Renaissance.    Also  an  architect. 

36.    TWO  CANDLESTICKS  IN  THE  FORM  OF  PUTTI 

The  two  children,  nude  except  for  scarfs  wound  round  their 
waists,  carry  candle  sockets  shaped  like  baskets  on  their  shoulders, 
the  one  grasping  his  burden  by  the  brim,  the  other  by  the  upper 
part  of  the  body.  They  are  resting  one  on  the  right,  one  on  the 
left  foot,  with  the  other  foot  drawn  back,  each  standing  on  a 
round  plinth  which  rests  on  an  elaborately  decorated  triangular 
base  consisting  of  three  volutes  surmounted  by  winged  sea- 
horses and  separated  by  cherub  heads.  The  lowest  portion  of 
the  base  is  composed  of  scrolls  and  acanthus  leaves. 

Statuettes,  bronze.    Height,  ioj4  inches. 

An  identical  pair  of  figures  were  in  the  Taylor  Collection  which 
was  sold  in  London  in  July,  191 2;  another  pair  in  the  collection 
of  Mr.  E.  Simon,  in  Berlin,  reproduced  in  Dr.  Bode's  "Italian 
Bronze  Statuettes,"  Vol.  Ill,  and  attributed  to  AlessandroVittoria. 


42 


* 


FLEMISH  ARTIST  WORKING  IN  ITALY 

LATTER  PART  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 

37.    WRESTLING  WOMEN 

Of  the  two  large-limbed  women,  one  stands  with  outspread  legs, 
her  right  hand  on  the  head  and  her  left  on  the  abdomen  of  her 
opponent,  whom  she  forces  to  bend  backward.  The  latter  grasps 
the  upper  left  arm  of  the  former  with  her  right  hand,  her  left  on 
the  other's  hip,  and  struggles  as  though  about  to  yield. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Reddish-brown  patina.    Height,  8  inches. 

The  same  group  is  in  the  Wallace  Collection.  Described  in  Dr. 
Bode's  "Italian  Bronze  Statuettes,"  Vol.  III. 


43 


ITALIAN  ARTIST  OF  THE  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

38.  SATYR,  AFTER  THE  ANTIQUE 

Full-bodied  bearded  man,  striding  forward  with  the  right  foot  in 
advance  and  the  right  hand  upraised,  holding  a  curved  stick.  He 
wears  a  lion-skin  tied  around  the  neck,  with  the  knotted  claws 
dangling  in  front  on  his  chest.  The  rest  of  the  skin  falls  behind 
until  it  is  caught  up  and  twisted  around  the  left  arm.  On  his 
head  a  garland  of  reeds. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Brown  patina.    Height,  13  inches. 

ITALIAN  ARTIST  OF  THE  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

39.  THE  BORGHESE  WARRIOR 

A  reduced  copy  of  the  famous  classical  statue  now  in  the  Louvre. 
As  in  the  original  the  shield  and  sword  blade  are  missing. 

Statuette,  bronze.    Black  patina.    Height,  14  inches. 

A  similar  figure  in  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum,  reproduced  in 
Bode,  "Italienische  Bronzen,  Museum,  Berlin,"  No.  410. 


44 


GERMAN  SCULPTURES 


MANNER  OF  KONRAD  MEIT 

Born  in  Worms,  after  15 14.  Court  Sculptor  of  Margareta  of 
Austria  in  Brussels;  in  1536  member  of  the  Guild  in  Antwerp. 
Most  important  sculptor  in  the  Netherlands  during  the  early 
Renaissance. 

40.    ADAM  AND  EVE 

Small  nude  figures.  Adam  stands  with  the  right  leg  behind 
the  left,  stretching  his  left  hand  out  to  Eve,  who  offers  him 
the  apple.  He  has  bushy  hair  and  is  meagerly  proportioned. 
Eve  stands  with  the  left  leg  behind  the  right  and,  smiling,  turns 
her  head  toward  him.  Her  hair  hangs  loosely.  On  small  rec- 
tangular plinths. 

Boxwood,  full  round.    Height,  524  inches. 

These  two  remarkable  carvings  were  executed  about  1520  and 
show  much  resemblance  to  the  works  of  Konrad  Meit  (compare, 
for  instance,  the  treatment  of  the  faces  and  the  hair  with  the 
portrait  figures  on  the  tombs  in  St.  Nicholas  de  Tolentin  at  Brou). 
Figures  of  the  same  style  attributed  to  Konrad  Meit  are  in  the 
Museum  at  Vienna  and  in  Gotha. 


46 


FRENCH  SCULPTURES 


FRENCH  ARTIST  OF  ABOUT  1500 
Probably  from  the  North-eastern  part  of  France,  near  Flanders. 

41.    KING  CLOTAIRE  AND  AN  ATTENDANT 

Part  of  a  large  group  forming  a  single  unit  in  an  altar-piece  dedi- 
cated to  Saint  Eloi.  The  King  stands  in  front  clad  in  a  long 
gown,  over  which  is  a  garment  with  full  sleeves,  originally  painted 
blue  and  patterned  with  fleurs-de-lys.  He  is  turned  to  the  right 
and  looks  downward.  In  his  left  hand  he  holds  a  sceptre  (?). 
Behind  him  on  a  higher  level  stands  an  attendant  clothed  in  a 
skirted,  full-sleeved  garment  and  a  flat  hat,  and  resting  his  right 
hand  on  a  partly  destroyed  staff. 

Oak,  with  remains  of  painting.    Height,  2 1  inches. 

From  the  altar-piece  of  St.  Eloi,  in  a  church  at  Recloses,  Province 
of  Seine-et-Marne.  A  cast  of  this  sculpture,  together  with  the 
missing  portion  of  the  same  group,  is  in  the  Musee  de  Sculpture 
Comparee  (Trocadero),  Paris.  The  other  part  of  the  group  con- 
sists of  two  figures:  St.  Eloi  as  a  goldsmith,  with  an  attendant, 
displaying  to  King  Clotaire  the  two  gold  and  jeweled  saddles 
which  the  Saint  has  made  at  the  King's  order  out  of  the  material 
allotted  for  one.  The  first  saddle  rests  on  the  ground,  and  toward 
it  the  gaze  of  the  King  is  directed;  the  other  is  held  in  the  hands 
of  St.  Eloi's  attendant.  The  making  of  these  two  saddles  (or 
thrones,  according  to  some  versions)  out  of  the  precious  materials 
assigned  for  one  was  St.  Eloi's  first  noteworthy  achievement.  It 
was  considered  such  a  proof  of  honesty  that  he  at  once  was  taken 
into  favor  by  the  King,  whose  successor,  Dagobert,  continued  to 
employ  Eloi  on  many  important  works.  Eventually  Eloi  gave  up 
the  goldsmith's  trade  and  was  made  Bishop  ofNoyon,  becoming  in 
time  the  patron  saint  of  goldsmiths,  armorers  and  workers  in  metal. 

48 


FRENCH  ARTIST:  SCHOOL  OF  THE  LOIRE 

ABOUT  I^OO 


42.    SAINT  SYLVESTER,  BISHOP  OF  ROME 

The  saint  is  represented  as  Pope,  with  his  attribute,  the  bull,  by 
his  side.  Over  a  long,  girdled  alb  Saint  Sylvester  wears  a  cope 
which  reveals  the  amice  at  the  throat  and  the  stole  crossed  in 
front  of  his  breast.  On  his  head  the  triple  tiara.  The  right  hand 
is  raised  as  though  holding  the  pastoral  staff,  which  is  missing. 
The  left  arm  has  been  broken  off. 

Wall  statue,  limestone,  with  remains  of  coloring.  Height,  31 
inches. 

Saint  Sylvester  (died  335  A.  D.)  converted  Constantine,  who  made 
him  Bishop  of  Rome.  The  bull,  his  symbol,  was  restored  by  him 
to  life  after  being  killed  by  a  magician  who  said  he  knew  the  name 
of  the  Omnipotent  and  whispered  the  name  in  the  ear  of  the 
animal,  upon  which  the  bull  fell  dead.  Sylvester  said  the  deed 
was  done  in  the  name  of  Satan  and  revived  the  animal  by  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross  over  it. 


49 


FRENCH  ARTIST:  SCHOOL  OF  THE  LOIRE 

ABOUT  I^OO 


43.    SAINT  BLAISE  (?),   BISHOP  OF  SEBASTE  IN  CAP- 

PADOCIA 

The  saint  is  represented  as  bishop,  wearing  a  long  cope  over  an 
alb  and  a  dalmatic.  About  his  neck  is  an  appareled  amice  and 
on  his  head  a  high  mitre.  In  his  left  hand  he  holds  the  pastoral 
staff,  the  upper  part  of  which  is  missing,  while  with  his  right  he 
makes  the  gesture  of  benediction.  "Saint  Blaise "  (?)  on  the 
plinth,  in  Gothic  letters. 

Wall  statue,  limestone,  with  traces  of  color.    Height,  37  inches. 

Saint  Blaise  was  patron  saint  of  Ragusa  and  healer  of  diseases  of 
the  throat.    He  died  in  289  A.  D. 


50 


FRENCH  ARTIST:  ILE  DE  FRANCE 

ABOUT  I^OO 


44.    PAIR  OF  CONSOLES 

The  under  part  of  each  console  is  decorated  with  the  half  figure 
of  an  angel  garbed  as  a  choir-boy  holding  the  liturgical  book  and 
singing.  Each  wears  a  hooded  cope  fastened  in  front  with  a  large 
morse.  Fillets  are  bound  around  their  flowing  hair.  Their  large 
wings  are  spread  out  on  either  side  and  curve  inward  toward  the 
bottom. 

Middle  relief,  limestone.  Height,  19  inches;  width,  1  ij4  inches; 
depth,  S'A  inches. 


5 1 


JEAN  BAPTISTE  PIGALLE 

Born  in  Paris  in  17 14;  died  there,  1785.  Studied  in  Rome. 
Worked  in  Paris  and  many  other  French  cities.  Sculptor  of 
large  monuments  as  well  as  of  smaller  ornaments.  Worked  in 
various  materials:  bronze,  marble,  lead,  and  terracotta. 

45.    STATUETTE  OF  A  BOY 

Standing  nude  except  for  a  shirt  which  he  holds  up  the  better  to 
carry  the  grapes  which  he  grasps  in  both  arms.  His  head  is  turned 
to  the  left,  his  left  foot  drawn  slightly  backward.  Behind  him 
the  trunk  of  a  tree.    On  a  round  plinth. 

Marble.    Height,  1 1  inches. 
STATUETTE  OF  A  GIRL 

Standing  nude  except  for  a  drapery  which  is  fastened  over  her 
right  shoulder.  In  both  hands  she  holds  roses  toward  which 
she  looks.  There  are  rosebuds  in  her  hair,  which  is  held  by  a 
band.  She  is  moving  forward,  placing  her  left  foot  to  the  front. 
A  trunk  of  a  tree  behind  her.    On  a  round  plinth. 

Marble.    Height,  1 1  inches. 


52 


ETIENNE  MAURICE  FALCONET 

Born  in  Paris  in  1716;  died  there,  1791.  Pupil  of  Lemoine. 
Academician  1 744.  Worked  in  Russia  for  Catherine  II  from  1 766- 
1778.  Sculptor  of  portrait  busts  and  small  ornaments,  chiefly  in 
marble. 

46.    MAIDEN  READING  A  LOVE  LETTER 

The  slim  young  girl  clad  in  a  loose  drapery  which  falls  from  the 
right  shoulder  and  breast,  sits  on  the  ground,  with  legs  extended 
toward  her  left.  The  right  knee  is  slightly  bent  and  rests  upon 
the  left  leg.  She  holds  in  both  hands  a  long  scroll  which  lies 
loosely  across  her  lap  and  seems  to  read  the  inscription.  Her 
left  hand  rests  on  the  oval  plinth  on  which  she  is  sitting  and  in 
her  right  she  grasps  a  flaming  heart.  A  toe  of  the  left  foot  is 
broken  off. 

Marble  statuette.    Height,  8  inches. 


53 


ETIENNE  MAURICE  FALCONET 


47.    MANTEL  CLOCK 

On  a  rock  from  which  grow  reeds  and  other  water  plants  sits  a 
nymph  looking  downward  toward  where  a  small  stream  seems 
to  start  from  the  ground.  She  is  nude,  with  her  right  leg  crossed 
over  the  left,  and  leans  lightly  on  her  right  arm.  Her  hair  is 
simply  parted  and  tied  with  a  bandeau.  The  clock-face,  which  is 
surrounded  by  an  ormolu  bead,  fills  the  centre  of  the  rock.  The 
whole  rests  on  a  base  with  semi-circular  ends,  decorated  with 
ornaments  in  pierced  ormolu,  and  supported  on  six  ormolu  feet. 

White  marble.    Height,  14%  inches. 


54 


t 


AUGUSTIN  PAJOU 

Born  in  Paris,  1730;  died  in  the  same  city  in  1809.  Pupil  of 
Lemoine.  Winner  of  Prix  de  Rome  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Acade- 
mician 1760,  and  holder  of  various  state  offices  in  connection 
with  the  Fine  Arts.  Sculptor  of  allegorical  subjects  and  portrait 
busts  in  various  materials. 

48.    BUST  OF  A  YOUNG  GIRL 

The  child's  eyes  are  turned  a  little  to  the  right  and  her  hair  is 
brushed  back  a  la  Pompadour  from  the  round  smiling  face. 
About  her  head  is  a  scarf,  loosely  tied  under  the  chin  in  a  bow. 
Above  her  forehead  in  the  fold  of  the  scarf  a  rose  is  fastened. 
On  a  marble  base. 

Terracotta.    Height,  17  inches. 


AUGUSTIN  PAJOU 
49.    BUST  OF  A  YOUNG  GIRL 

She  looks  down  toward  her  right,  with  wide,  serious  eyes.  Her 
wavy  hair,  which  is  cut  short  in  front  and  hangs  loosely  over  her 
forehead,  rests  in  curls  on  her  shoulders.  It  is  tied  with  a  ribbon 
which  is  secured  in  front  above  her  forehead  by  a  bow-knot.  A 
drapery  which  covers  her  right  shoulder  is  held  in  place  by  a  band 
which  crosses  her  left  breast.    On  a  marble  pedestal. 

Terracotta.    Height,  16H  inches. 


1 


56 


'FY 

m 


JEAN  ANTOINE  HOUDON 

Born  at  Versailles,  1 74 1  ;  died  in  Paris,  1828.  Pupil  of  Stodtz, 
Lemoine  and  Pigalle.  Academician  1777.  Studied  and  worked 
in  Rome,  then  in  Paris,  and  later  came  to  the  United  States  at 
the  request  of  Franklin  to  execute  a  statue  of  George  Washington 
by  the  order  of  Congress.  Sculptor  chiefly  of  portrait  statues 
and  busts. 

50.    BUST  OF  A  BOY 

The  round  faced  little  boy  has  thrown  his  head  back  and  looks 
forward  and  upward  with  a  rapt  and  serious  expression.  His  lips 
are  slightly  parted.  His  short  hair  falls  loosely  on  his  forehead. 
A  drapery  which  covers  his  shoulders  is  crossed  on  his  breast. 
On  a  terracotta  pedestal. 

Terracotta.    Height,  16  inches. 


S7 


GOLDSMITHS'  WORK 


51.  CRUCIFIX 

On  one  side  the  Crucified  Christ  is  represented  with  arms  ex- 
tended, his  hands  and  feet  pierced  by  nails.  His  body  is  draped 
from  the  breast  to  the  knees.  The  head  is  inclined  to  the  left; 
behind  it  a  large  cruciform  halo.  Above  his  head  the  letters 
IHS  (Jesus)  XPS  (Christus).  On  the  other  side  at  the  inter- 
section of  the  arms  of  the  cross  is  a  circular  panel  with  the  Agnus 
Dei.  To  the  left  of  the  head  of  the  Lamb  the  Greek  letter  A,  to 
the  right  the  letter  Q.  On  the  arms  foliated  ornaments.  The 
figure  of  Christ  and  the  letters  above  his  head  executed  in  cham- 
pleve  enamel.    The  pattern  on  the  back  incised. 

Copper,  champleve,  enameled  and  gilded.  Height,  8  inches; 
width,  inches. 

GERMAN,  RHENISH,  XII  CENTURY 


6o 


r 


52.  RELIQUARY 

Small  oblong  box,  the  cover  in  the  shape  of  a  gable-roof  with  a 
cusped  ridge  carrying  three  balls  at  the  top.  The  box  rests  on 
four  square  feet.  The  front  is  decorated  with  the  Crucifixion, 
above  which  on  the  lid  is  the  figure  of  Christ  seated  in  a  light 
blue  medallion  with  an  adoring  angel  on  either  side.  On  the 
back  four  half-figures  of  angels  in  squares  of  light  blue.  On  both 
ends  angels  in  circles.  In  the  remaining  sections  conventional 
floral  designs.  The  heads  of  the  figures  are  raised  in  high  relief. 
The  background  is  in  deep  blue  enamel. 

Wood,  covered  with  gilt  copper,  the  outlines  engraved,  the 
decoration  in  champleve  enamel.  Length,  6  inches;  depth,  2%. 
inches;  height,  5  inches. 

FRENCH,  LIMOGES,  XIII  CENTURY 


61 


53-    TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  HORSE 

A  jumping  horse,  its  fore  legs  in  the  air,  rests  its  hind  legs  on  an 
oval  base  which  is  richly  decorated  with  flowers,  two  lizards,  a 
tortoise,  frogs,  and  a  beetle  in  high  relief.  Head  removable. 
Frankfurt  mark.    Maker's  mark  TF. 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  10  inches. 

GERMAN,  FRANKFURT,  XVII  CENTURY 

54.  TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  LION 

A  rampant  lion,  with  a  long  tail,  its  fore  legs  in  the  air,  its  hind 
legs  resting  on  the  ground.  Around  the  neck  a  collar  with  a 
fragment  of  chain  attached.  Head  removable,  so  that  the  object 
can  be  used  for  a  drinking  cup.  Marked  with  the  pine-cone  of 
Augsburg  and  maker's  mark  I Z  (?).   Inscribed  on  the  body  J.  Z.  H. 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  7  inches. 

GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

55.  TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  HORSE 

A  prancing  horse,  its  fore  legs  in  the  air,  rests  its  hind  legs  on  an 
oval  base  on  four  scroll  feet.  Marked  with  the  pine-cone  of 
Augsburg  and  maker's  mark  H  M. 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  9^  inches. 

This  mark  is  usually  identified  with  Heinrich  Maalich,  born  in 
1625,  worked  in  Augsburg  after  1 6s  1,  died  in  1698.  Abouttwenty 
known  works  by  him,  in  the  Castle,  Berlin;  in  the  Treasury, 
Munich;  in  Moscow;  and  elsewhere,  are  recorded  in  Rosenberg, 
"Der  Goldschmiede  Markzeichen,"  Frankfurt,  191 1. 

GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 


62 


56.  TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  GOAT 

A  prancing  goat,  its  fore  legs  in  the  air,  rests  its  hind  legs  on  an 
oval  base.  Head  removable.  Marked  with  the  pine-cone  and 
maker's  mark  E.  Z. 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  inches. 

Many  works  by  this  master  in  the  form  of  lions,  owls,  deer,  oxen, 
etc. ,  are  recorded  in  Rosenberg.    An  ornament  in  the  form  of  an 
ostrich  signed  by  him  is  in  the  Wallace  collection,  London,  and 
two  salt  cellars  are  in  the  Musee  Cluny. 
GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

57.  TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  HEN 

A  fat  hen  with  carefully  chased  feathers,  standing  on  an  oval  base. 
Head  removable.    Ulm  mark  and  maker's  mark  CF. 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  SlA  inches. 

GERMAN,  ULM,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CENTURY 

58.  TABLE  ORNAMENT  IN  THE  FORM  OF  A  HORSE 

A  small,  full-bodied  horse  with  short  head  and  flowing  tail,  prances 
on  its  hind  legs  on  an  oval  base,  naturalistically  wrought  with 
grass,  stumps,  and  leaves,  among  which  are  tortoises  and  in- 
sects. Head  removable.  Marked  with  Breslau  stamp  and  C.  M. 
(Christoph  Muller). 

Silver  gilt.    Height,  8y2  inches. 

Christoph  Muller  was  Master  of  the  Guild  in  Breslau  in  1689  and 
died  in  1735.    Five  works  by  him,  two  dated  1693  and  1719, 
are  described  by  Rosenberg. 
Formerly  in  the  Speyer-Cahn  collection. 

GERMAN,  BRESLAU,  LATE  XVII  CENTURY 

63 


59-  PAIR  OF  OVAL  SWEETMEAT  BOXES 
Hinged  and  locked  lids.  Decorated  with  gadrooning  on  sides  and 
top.  In  the  center  of  the  top  leaf  motive.  Marked  with  the  pine- 
cone  of  Augsburg  and  maker's  mark  L  R.  Works  of  this  master 
described  by  Rosenberg,  No.  331,  two  of  which  are  dated  1708 
and  1 712. 

Silver  gilt.    Size,  9%  by  6H  inches. 

GERMAN,  AUGSBURG,  EARLY  XVIII  CENTURY 

60.  SANCTUARY  LAMP 

Heavy  bowl,  from  the  outer  edge  of  which  project  three  winged 
genii  who  serve  as  attachments  for  the  three  elaborate  support- 
ing chains  which  are  joined  together  above  by  a  carved  ball. 

Brass.    Height  of  bowl,  24  inches;  diameter,  17  inches. 
ITALIAN,  VENETIAN,  XVIII  CENTURY 

61.  PAIR  OF  SCONCES 

Signed  by  Pierre  Gouthiere,  1 740  (?)- 1 806. 
A  satyr  masque  crowned  with  acanthus  foliage  is  terminated  at 
the  bottom  in  a  volute.    From  the  upper  lip  of  the  satyr  project 
two  candle  brackets  with  foliated  stems. 

Ormolu.    Height  of  wall  support,  1  s  inches. 
FRENCH,  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  XVI 

Pierre  Gouthiere  was  the  most  famous  worker  in  ormolu  in  his 
day.  He  was  "sculpteur,  ciseleur  et  doreur  du  Roi,"  and  ex- 
ecuted many  important  works,  especially  in  mounts  for  furniture, 
at  the  order  of  Mine,  du  Barry  and  in  the  royal  palaces  of  Ver- 
sailles and  Fontainebleau.  There  are  examples  of  his  work  in 
Windsor  Castle,  the  Wallace  Collection,  and  the  Louvre. 

64 


CERAMICS 


62.  VASE 

Cylindrical  in  shape,  bulging  slightly  toward  the  top.  At  the 
bottom  a  rather  strong  molding  above  the  flaring  base.  Three 
incised  lines  around  the  middle  of  the  vase.  At  the  top  a  slight 
lip.    The  whole  glazed  in  rich  green. 

Glazed  pottery.    Height,  125^  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  1 368-1643 

63.  BOWL 

Broad  and  low,  with  sides  curving  inward  at  the  top. 
No  foot.    Covered  with  a  rich  green  glaze. 

Glazed  pottery.    Height,       inches;  diameter,  10  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  1368-1643 


66 


64.  VASE. 

A  copy  in  pottery  of  a  bronze  "Tsun  "  or  sacrificial  wine  vase  of 
the  Han  period.  Full  body  with  wide  neck,  decorated  with  fillets 
and  fine  incised  geometric  patterns.  Simulated  tiger-head  and 
ring  handles.    Flat  glaze,  pale  green  in  color. 

Glazed  pottery.    Height,  14K  inches. 

CHINESE,  T  ANG  DYNASTY,  618-907 

65.  VASE 

A  copy  in  pottery  of^a  bronze  "Tsun  "  or  sacrificial  wine  vase  of 
the  Han  period.  Full  body  with  rather  broad  neck,  decorated 
with  fillets  and  simulated  tiger-head  and  ring  handles.  Deep 
green  glaze. 

Glazed  pottery.    Height,  14^  inches. 
CHINESE,  TANG  DYNASTY,  618-907 


67 


1 


66.  JARDINIERE 

Deep  bowl,  a  little  smaller  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top,  with 
slightly  convex  sides.  Decorated  in  strong  blue  with  two  dragons 
covered  with  a  scale  pattern.  The  background  filled  with  flower 
and  flame  motives.  At  the  bottom  conventionalized  hillocks. 
Marked  on  the  lip:  Ta  Ming  Wan-li  nien  chih  (Made  in  the  reign 
of  Wan-li  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty). 

Porcelain.    Height,  14K  inches;  diameter,  18  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  REIGN  OF  WAN-LI,  1 573-1619 

67.  JARDINIERE 

Deep  bowl,  a  little  smaller  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top,  with 
slightly  convex  sides.  Decorated  in  strong  blue  with  two  dragons 
covered  with  a  scale  pattern.  The  background  filled  with  flower 
and  flame  motives.  At  the  top  around  the  lip  a  running  band 
of  fine  ornament.  Marked:  Ta  Ming  Wan-li  nien  chih  (Made 
in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty). 

Porcelain.    Height,  14H  inches;  diameter,  18  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  REIGN  OF  WAN-LI,  1 573-1619 


68 


68.  JARDINIERE 

Large  shallow  bowl,  with  outcurving  sides,  slightly  convex. 
Decorated  in  deep  blue  on  white  with  floral  and  fish  designs. 
Marked:  Ta  Ming  Chia-Ching  nien  chin  (Made  in  the  reign  of 
Chia-Ching  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty). 
Porcelain.    Height,  14  inches;  diameter,  30  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  REIGN  OF  CHIA-CHING, 
1522-1366 

69.  JARDINIERE 

Large  shallow  bowl,  with  outcurving  sides,  slightly  convex. 
Decorated  in  deep  blue  with  floral  and  fish  designs.  Marked 
on  the  lip:  Ta  Ming  Chia-Ching  nien  chin  (Made  in  the  reign 
of  Chia-Ching  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty). 

Porcelain.    Height,  14  inches;  diameter,  28  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  REIGN  OF  CHIA-CHING, 
1 322-1 366 

70.  LARGE  JARDINIERE 

Broad  shallow  bowl,  with  outcurving  sides,  slightly  convex. 
Decorated  in  deep  blue  on  a  white  ground  with  lotus  and  scroll 
designs.  Marked:  Ta  Ming  Chia-Ching  nien  chin  (Made  in  the 
reign  of  Chia-Ching  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty). 

Porcelain.    Height,  is  inches;  diameter,  30  inches. 

CHINESE,  MING  DYNASTY,  REIGN  OF  CHIA-CHING, 
1 322-1 366 

69 


71.  VASE 

Globular  body  with  neck  and  slightly  higher  foot.  Bluish-green 
glaze  and  black  ornaments.  The  body  is  divided  by  horizontal 
lines  into  three  fields,  the  middle  one  being  the  widest.  In  the 
upper  field  Cufic  inscriptions;  in  the  middle  one  scrolls  with  ara- 
besques, leaves,  and  birds;  in  the  lowest,  fishes  swimming  to  the 
left.  On  the  neck  two  strips  of  geometrical  patterns.  The  foot 
is  unglazed.   Partly  covered  with  silvery  iridescence. 

Glazed  pottery.   Height,  1 1  inches;  diameter,  9  inches. 

MESOPOTAM1AN,  XIV  CENTURY 

72.  VASE 

Globular  body  with  short  neck,  covered  with  bluish-green  glaze 
on  which  the  decoration  has  been  painted  in  black.  The  glaze 
does  not  cover  the  foot.  Two  horizontal  lines  surround  the 
body  below  the  middle  of  the  vase,  dividing  it  into  two  fields 
which  are  filled  with  thin  foliated  scrolls  and  leaves.  The  neck 
also  is  decorated  with  scrolls.  Partly  covered  with  silvery  irides- 
cence. 

Glazed  pottery.    Height,  1 1  inches;  diameter,  9  inches. 
MESOPOTAMIAN,  XIV  CENTURY 


70 


f 


73.    DISH  WITH  MOCK  ARABIC  INSCRIPTIONS 

Ornamented  in  pale  blue,  dark  blue,  and  gold  lustre  on  a  cream- 
colored  ground.  In  the  middle  a  roundel  containing  a  star  pat- 
tern; between  the  roundel  and  the  brim  four  pointed  ovals 
containing  spirals  alternating  with  bands  of  mock  Arabic  inscrip- 
tions. The  brim  is  decorated  with  arcadings  in  light  blue.  The 
open  spaces  in  the  field  and  in  the  border  are  filled  with  spirals, 
dots  and  conventional  leaves. 

Lustred  faience.    Diameter,  14  inches. 

HISPANO-MORESQUE,  VALENCIA,  SPAIN,  ABOUT  1400- 1430 

This  dish  and  the  albarello  Number  7s  are  of  the  first  period  of 
Hispano-Moresque  lustred  ware,  when  Arabic  elements  are 
still  predominant  in  the  design,  although  combined  with  Gothic 
motives.  These  pieces  can  be  dated  by  comparison  with 
similar  plates  in  the  British  Museum  and  in  Earl  Spencer's  col- 
lection, which  have  coat-of-arms  dating  from  before  1430 
(Compare  A.  van  der  Put,  "Hispano-Moresque  Ware,"  Lon- 
don, iqoq). 


71 


74-    APOTHECARY  JAR,  OR  ALBARELLO 

Cylindrical  shape,  narrowing  slightly  toward  the  upper  part. 
Low  neck  and  foot,  connected  with  the  body  by  a  sloping  rim. 
Ornament  in  pale  gold  lustre  on  cream  color.  The  decoration 
consists  of  five  horizontal  bands  containing  conventionalized 
branches,  spirals  and  geometrical  interlacings.  Similar  patterns 
on  neck  and  shoulder. 

Lustred  faience.    Height,  12  inches. 

HISPANO-MORESQUE,  VALENCIA,  SPAIN,  ABOUT  14^0-1475 

75.    APOTHECARY  JAR,  OR  ALBARELLO  WITH  MOCK 

ARABIC  INSCRIPTIONS 

The  design,  on  the  body  of  the  albarello,  consists  of  five  horizontal 
bands,  the  widest  of  which  is  in  the  middle.  It  contains  diamond- 
shaped  areas  filled  with  forms  resembling  a  fleur-de-lys;  the  upper 
adjoining  band  displays  a  conventional  leaf  pattern,  the  lower 
adjoining  band  a  design  of  intersecting  arches;  while  the  top  and 
bottom  bands  are  made  up  of  simulated  Cufic  inscriptions  repeat- 
ing the  initial  letter  of  the  name  of  Allah.  The  neck  band  also  is 
made  up  of  conventionalized  Arabic  letters. 

Lustred  faience.    Height,  12  inches. 

HISPANO-MORESQUE,  VALENCIA,  SPAIN,  ABOUT  1400-1430 


72 


76.    TWO-HANDLED  VASE 

Full  rounded  body  with  cylindrical  neck  and  twisted  handles. 
Reddish  clay,  the  lower  third  covered  with  a  yellow  glaze, 
the  upper  two-thirds  with  a  white  enameled  ground  on  which  the 
design  is  painted  in  green  outlined  with  manganese  purple.  On 
each  side  is  an  antlered  deer,  holding  in  its  mouth  a  bunch  of 
decorative  oak  leaves  of  Gothic  form.  The  background  is  filled 
with  similar  foliage.  The  fore-  and  hind-quarters  of  the  deer  are 
painted  in  solid  green  with  purple  and  white  spots,  while  its 
body  is  covered  with  a  green  and  white  diaper  pattern  which 
suggests  a  saddle  blanket.  The  type  of  animal  is  derived  from 
Near  Eastern  art.  The  neck  of  the  vase  is  encircled  by  a  rudimen- 
tary guilloche. 

Majolica.    Height,  14^  inches. 

ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XV  CENTURY 

Reproduced  in  Dr.  BodeVDie  Anfangeder  italienischen  Majolika" 
as  in  the  possession  of  Stephano  Bardini,  Florence.  Also  in  ' '  Art 
in  America,"  Vol.  I,  No.  1.  This  is  one  of  the  few  large  Floren- 
tine vases  of  the  Gothic  period  still  extant  and  in  perfect  preser- 
vation. 


73 


77-    APOTHECARY  JAR,  OR  ALBARELLO 

Of  the  usual  albarello  shape,  with  incurving  sides  decorated  on  a 
white  ground  with  pine-cone  designs  in  strong  blue  and  orange. 
Geometrical  patterns  on  shoulder. 

Majolica.    Height,  9  inches. 

ITALIAN.  FLORENTINE,  LATE  XV  CENTURY 

78.  APOTHECARY  JAR,  OR  ALBARELLO 

The  usual  albarello  form,  decorated  by  abroad  band  around  the 
middle,  divided  into  two  rectangular  panels  containing  on  an 
orange  ground  designs  of  cornucopias  and  foliage  in  blue  and 
white.  On  one  side  a  coat-of-arms.  At  the  top  the  inscription 
in  Gothic  letters,  "Terra  Sigilata." 

Majolica.    Height,  \o%  inches. 

ITALIAN,  FAENZA,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

79.  PLATE 

The  judgment  of  Paris:  shallow  plate  with  low  foot.  Under  a 
tree  at  the  left  sits  the  naked  Paris  before  whom  stand  the  three 
goddesses  each  holding  a  spear.  In  the  background  hills  and 
mountains  with  a  lake  and  villages.  In  the  foreground  a  scroll 
inscribed  LA  ■  ISTORIA  ■  DE  ■  PARIS  ■  E  •  VIENA.  Blue-green, 
yellow  and  black  are  the  predominant  colors.  On  the  back  a 
scroll  pattern  on  a  white  ground.  In  the  center  beneath  the  foot 
a  large  R  crossed  with  a  paraph,  forming  an  X,  possibly  the  mark 
of  Fra  Xanto  da  Rovigo.    (Border  restored). 

Majolica.    Diameter,  10  inches. 

ITALIAN,  URBINO,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVI  CENTURY 


74 


FURNITURE 


8o-8i.    TWO  SAVONAROLA  CHAIRS 


Of  the  shape  known  as  Savonarola  or  X  chairs,  with  back  and 
arms.  One  chair  has  conventionalized  lion  feet.  The  back  and 
seat  covered  with  sixteenth  century  gold  embroidery  on  red 
velvet. 

Walnut.    Height  of  back,  36  inches. 
ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  XV  CENTURY 


76 


V 


82-83.    TW0  ARMCHAIRS 

Rectangular  seat,  resting  on  four  straight  legs,  carved  with  guil- 
loches  and  connected  in  front  by  wide  stretcher,  elaborately 
pierced.  The  back  is  composed  of  two  straight  posts  with 
acanthus-leaf  finials,  joined  by  a  broad  cushioned  rest.  Back  and 
seat  cushioned  in  old  red  velvet  ornamented  with  sixteenth  cen- 
tury embroidery  in  gold  (illustrated). 

Walnut.    Height  of  back,  43  inches. 

ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  SECOND  HALF  OF  XVI  CENTURY 
84-87.    FOUR  CHAIRS 

Square  seats  with  straight  legs  and  high  backs.  The  legs  are 
joined  in  front  by  a  wide  stretcher,  carved  and  pierced.  Similar 
stretchers  are  twice  repeated  in  the  back.  Cushions  of  old  red 
velvet. 

Walnut.    Height  of  back,  47  inches. 

ITALIAN,  SECOND  HALF  OF  XVI  CENTURY 


77 


88.    REFECTORY  TABLE 


A  rectangular  top  bordered  with  nulling,  supported  on  four 
carved  legs,  connected  near  the  bottom  by  simply  ornamented 
stretchers.  At  the  top  the  legs  are  joined  by  four  deep  rails, 
carved  with  a  floral  border.  In  the  middle  of  the  side  rails  a 
simple  circular  medallion. 

Walnut.  Length,  83  inches;  height,  34K  inches;  breadth,  32 
inches. 

ITALIAN,  IN  THE  STYLE  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 


78 


89.  TABLE  (ILLUSTRATED) 

Square  top,  with  corners  chamfered  to  form  an  uneven  octagon, 
supported  on  four  consoles  carved  with  caryatides,  and  terminating 
at  the  bottom  in  lion  feet  resting  on  an  octagonal  base.  The 
consoles  radiate  from  a  central  pedestal  to  which  they  are  at- 
tached.   The  pedestal  is  carved  with  a  scale  pattern. 

Walnut.    Height,        inches;  diameter,  }SlA  inches. 

ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  XVI  CENTURY 

90.  CEILING 

Divided  into  three  main  parts  which  are  subdivided  into  rather 
deep  cofferings.  On  the  intersections  of  the  finely  moulded 
beams  are  circular  ornaments  in  brass. 

Walnut.  Length,  21  feet  10  inches;  breadth,  19  feet  10  inches. 
ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  XV  CENTURY 

9 1 .  DOORWAY 

Two  fluted  Corinthian  columns  carry  an  entablature  consisting 
of  an  architrave  with  elaborate  mouldings;  a  frieze  ornamented 
with  an  oblong  panel  painted  blue,  bearing  the  date,  and  two 
heavy  garlands;  and  a  rich  cornice. 

Wood,  covered  with  gesso,  gilded.  Outside  measurements: 
height,  1 1  feet  2  inches;  width.  10  feet  6  inches.  Inside  meas- 
urements: height,  7  feet  7  inches;  width.  6  feet. 

ITALIAN,  DATED  1 S62 


79 


92.    WRITING  DESK 

In  two  parts,  the  lower  closed  by  two  small  doors,  the  upper  by 
the  writing  flap,  hinged  at  the  bottom.  The  two  lower  doors 
are  each  divided  into  two  panels  containing  an  interlacing  pattern  • 
in  low  relief,  and  can  be  opened  by  means  of  two  carved  brass 
pulls  in  the  shape  of  double-tailed  mermaids.  On  either  side  of 
the  doors  is  a  lion-footed  sphinx  in  high  relief,  resting  on  a  console 
and  bearing  on  its  head  a  mask  which  can  be  pulled  out  to  serve 
as  a  support  for  the  writing  flap  when  lowered.  The  front  of  the 
flap  is  inlaid  with  a  be-ribboned  wreath  containing  three  heraldic 
devices,  the  inside  with  a  checker  board.  Within  are  small 
drawers  each  inlaid  with  a  letter,  and  each  mounted  with  a  mer- 
maid pull  in  brass,  similar  to  those  below.  The  ends  of  the  desk 
have  elaborate  moldings  surrounding  diamond-shaped  panels, 
containing  handles  of  wrought  iron,  for  use  in  lifting  the  desk. 

Walnut,  inlaid.    Height,  s  feet  \%  inches;  width,  3  feet  5  inches; 
depth,  1  foot  1 1  inches. 

NORTH  ITALIAN,  MANTUA,  BEGINNING  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

Similar  in  type  to  the  writing  desk  said  to  have  been  made  for 
the  Gonzaga  family  and  now  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum. 


80 


93.    BRIDAL  CHEST,  OR  CASSONE 

Oblong  shape  with  straight  sides,  except  for  a  retreating  member 
at  the  bottom.  Around  the  top  a  heavy  molding  underneath 
the  edge  of  the  lid.  The  middle  part  of  the  cover  raised  in  a 
rectangular  panel  surrounded  by  a  border  with  a  blue  background. 
Lion  feet.  Decorated  all  over  in  bas-relief,  with  foliated  orna- 
ments in  gilded  stucco.  The  front  is  divided  in  three  panels, 
the  largest  in  the  center  containing  a  cartouche  painted  with  a 
coat-of-arms  and  surrounded  by  scrolls  of  vine  leaves.  Similar 
leaf  design  in  the  two  smaller  panels  and  on  the  ends  of  the  chest. 
The  molding  on  the  lower  part  is  decorated  with  a  running  de- 
sign of  vine  leaves  interrupted  in  the  middle  and  at  the  corners 
by  acanthus  leaves.  The  flat  gilded  surface  of  the  stiles  and  rails 
is  ornamented  with  fine  incised  patterns. 

Pine,  covered  with  gesso,  gilded  and  painted.  Length,  67  inches; 
height,  27  inches;  width,  2yA  inches. 

NORTH  ITALIAN,  VENETIANS),  LATE  XV  CENTURY 


< 


94.    CHEST,  OR  CASSONE 

The  shape  is  an  adaptation  of  the  Roman  sarcophagus,  the  lower 
part  being  convex,  the  upper  concave.  The  moldings  of  the  lid 
are  covered  with  acanthus-leaf  and  other  designs.  The  decora- 
tion of  the  lower  portion  consists  of  a  cartouche  containing  a  coat- 
of-arms  in  the  centre  of  the  front,  from  which  start  heavy  scrolls 
of  foliage  and  flowers.  The  two  scrolls  on  either  side  of  the  car- 
touche each  surround  a  grotesque  figure  which  supports  the 
coat-of-arms.  On  the  corners  in  high  relief  four  putti  with  cen- 
taurs'feet  and  floriated  tails.  The  concave  molding  is  decorated 
with  a  honeysuckle  ornament. 

Walnut.  Length,  67  inches;  height,  24  inches;  width,  22K 
inches. 

ITALIAN,  ROMAN,  MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

This  cassone  with  its  mate  was  probably  made  in  Rome  at  the 
workshop  of  the  Tatti  and  represents  the  best  style  of  later 
Renaissance  chests. 


82 


ft 

1 


95.    CHEST,  OR  CASSONE 

The  shape  is  an  adaptation  of  the  Roman  sarcophagus,  the  lower 
part  being  convex,  the  upper  concave.  The  moldings  of  the  lid 
are  covered  with  acanthus-leaf  and  other  designs.  The  decora- 
tion of  the  lower  portion  consists  of  a  cartouche  containing  a  coat- 
of-arms  in  the  centre  of  the  front,  from  which  start  heavy  scrolls 
of  foliage  and  flowers.  The  two  scrolls  on  either  side  of  the  car- 
touche each  surround  a  grotesque  figure  which  supports  the 
coat-of-arms.  On  the  corners  in  high  relief  four  putti  with  cen- 
taurs' feet  and  floriated  tails.  The  concave  molding  is  decorated 
with  a  honeysuckle  ornament. 

Walnut.  Length,  67  inches;  height,  24  inches;  width,  22K 
inches. 

ITALIAN,  ROMAN,  MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

This  cassone  with  its  mate  was  probably  made  in  Rome  at  the 
workshop  of  the  Tatti  and  represents  the  best  style  of  later 
Renaissance  chests. 


83 


96.    BRIDAL  CHEST,  OR  CASSONE 

The  chest,  which  is  profusely  decorated  with  figures  and  orna- 
ments in  high  relief,  is  in  the  shape  of  a  Roman  sarcophagus 
supported  on  four  lion  feet,  and  covered  by  a  deep  lid  with  a 
heavy  hasp  and  padlock  in  wrought  iron.  The  in-curving  sides 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  chest  are  decorated  with  a  relief  of  Apollo 
slaying  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Niobe.  On  the  corners  are 
figures  of  four  muscular,  bearded  men,  lightly  draped.  A  garland 
of  oak  leaves  separates  the  lower  part  of  the  chest  from  the  upper, 
which  is  ornamented  with  a  border  of  acanthus  scrolls.  The 
moldings  about  the  lid  resemble  in  profile  the  plinth  of  a  column 
and  are  decorated  with  simple  leaf  and  scale  patterns.  The  lock 
is  a  later  addition  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Walnut,  partly  gilded.  Length,  65  inches;  height,  29  inches; 
width,  22  inches. 

ITALIAN,  FLORENTINE,  MIDDLE  OF  THE  XVI  CENTURY 

A  remarkably  fine  example  of  the  late  Renaissance  type.  We 
find  the  same  motif,  Apollo  and  Diana  slaying  the  Sons  and 
Daughters  of  Niobe,  on  one  of  the  finest  chests  in  the  Berlin 
Museum. 


84 


97-    CHOIR  STALL 

Straight  back  with  carved  molding  on  the  top,  the  two  parcloses 
or  side  pieces  ending  in  a  quarter  circle  to  which  are  attached  two 
carved  figures,  on  the  right  a  woman  with  an  open  book,  on  the 
left  a  man  holding  a  bunch  of  fruit.  The  lower  edge  of  each 
parclose  is  carved  in  a  scale  pattern.  Two  small  consoles  serve 
as  supports  to  the  seat,  which  can  be  turned  up  to  show  the 
misericorde  underneath,  carved  with  a  human  face.  On  the 
ends  of  the  stall  sharply  pointed  linen-fold  pattern. 

Oak.    Height,  y%  inches;  width,  29  inches;  depth,  17  inches. 

FRENCH  GOTHIC,  XV  CENTURY 


85 


98.  CACQUETOIRE  CHAIR 

Flaring  seat  with  straight  sides,  supported  on  two  carved  and 
two  plain  legs  connected  at  the  foot  by  stretchers.  The  back 
rectangular  and  high,  topped  by  an  ornament  of  scrolls,  strap-work 
and  honeysuckle  motives.  The  central  panel  is  decorated  with 
similar  ornaments  and  surrounded  by  a  rope  molding.  An  egg 
and  dart  pattern  on  the  rail  supporting  the  seat.  Flat,  curving 
arms  resting  on  four  turned  posts.    Cushion  of  old  red  velvet. 

Walnut.    Height,  54  inches. 

Illustrated  as  a  typical  cacquetoire  chair  by  Henri  Havard,  "  Dic- 
tionnaire  de  l'ameublement,"  Vol.  1,  p.  607,  fig.  422. 

FRENCH,  MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 

99.  CACQUETOIRE  CHAIR 

Flaring  seat  with  straight  sides,  supported  on  four  turned  legs 
connected  at  the  foot  by  stretchers.  The  back  rectangular  and 
high,  topped  by  an  ornament  of  scrolls,  strap-work  and  honey- 
suckle motives.  The  central  panel  is  decorated  with  similar 
ornaments  and  surrounded  by  a  broad  guilloche.  Curving  arms 
supported  by  two  turned  posts.  A  similar  guilloche  on  the  rail 
under  the  seat.    Cushion  of  old  red  velvet. 

Walnut.    Height,  54  inches. 

FRENCH,  MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 


86 


loo- 1 oi.    TWO  SMALL  FOLDING  CHAIRS 

Made  in  X  form  with  back.  Stretchers  front  and  back  just  above 
the  feet.  Open-work  backs  composed  of  twisted  columns  con- 
nected above  by  arches.  The  stretchers,  legs  and  posts  are 
carved  with  a  flat,  incised  pattern  derived  mostly  from  thistles 
or  oak  leaves.  The  upper  stretchers  of  the  back,  however,  show 
figure  subjects,  on  one  chair  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  by  Abraham, 
on  the  other  Christ  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria.  The  seats  are 
covered  with  cushions  of  Venetian  velvet  of  the  period. 

Pine  (?)  stained  black.    Height  of  back,  28  inches. 

FRENCH,  EARLY  XVII  CENTURY 


87 


102.  COMMODE 


Containing  three  drawers,  and  supported  on  four  legs,  the  two  at 
the  front  being  set  diagonally.  Circular  ring  handles,  oval  key 
escutcheons  surmounted  by  a  bow  knot,  and  two  corner  orna- 
ments, all  in  ormolu.  The  whole  piece  covered  with  walnut 
veneer  and  lineal  marquetry  in  lighter  woods.  Top  in  dark  red 
and  white  marble. 

Pine,  covered  with  walnut  marquetry.  Height,  34  inches;  width, 
38  inches;  depth,  17  inches. 

FRENCH,  PERIOD  OF  LOUIS  XVI,  1 774-1 793 
103.    WRITING  DESK 

Oblong  top,  supported  on  two  paneled  compartments  which  in 
turn  rest  each  on  four  round,  tapering  legs.  Three  drawers 
above,  the  centre  one  being  just  over  the  knee  hole.  Below  at 
either  side  the  compartments  opened  by  doors,  which,  like  the 
drawers,  are  edged  with  a  double  border  inlaid  in  light  wood. 
The  body  of  the  desk  is  walnut,  the  corners  and  the  eight  legs 
are  decorated  with  an  incised  reeded  pattern  in  gold.  The  top 
is  covered  with  green  leather. 

Walnut  marquetry.  Length,  58^  inches;  height,  29K  inches; 
depth,  29  inches. 

FRENCH,  PERIOD  OF  LOUIS  XVI,  1774-1793 


88 


104-   JOINT  STOOL 

Four  turned  legs,  inclined  slightly  inward  toward  the  top,  and 
connected  at  the  bottom  by  rectangular  stretchers. 

Oak.    Height,  23  inches. 

ENGLISH,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CENTURY 

105.  ARMCHAIR  WITH  PANELED  BACK 

Two  turned  and  two  plain  legs,  rectangular  seat,  and  paneled 
back,  bordered  by  a  guilloche.  On  either  corner  of  the  back  a 
simple  pointed  ornament. 

Oak.    Height  of  back,  45K  inches. 

ENGLISH,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CENTURY 

106.  JOINT  STOOL 

Four  turned  legs,  inclined  slightly  inward  toward  the  top,  and 
connected  at  the  bottom  by  rectangular  stretchers. 

Oak.    Height,  23  inches. 

ENGLISH,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CENTURY 


89 


107-108.    TWO  ARMCHAIRS 

The  curving  seat  is  supported  by  four  cabriole  legs  with  lion-feet, 
connected  by  stretchers.  The  back  consists  of  a  broad  upright 
splat  carved  with  conventionalized  roses,  from  which  the  arms 
curve  downward  toward  the  seat.  Cushion  of  seventeenth  cen- 
tury crimson  brocade,  trimmed  with  galloon. 

Wood,  painted  black,  with  carving  picked  out  in  gold.  Height 
of  back,  40^  inches. 

PORTUGUESE,  EARLY  XVIII  CENTURY 


90 


1 09- 1  io.    TWO  OVER-DOOR  PANELS 

1.  In  the  centre  a  medallion  containing  a  winged  Cupid, 
nude,  leading  two  figures,  a  man  and  a  woman.  Two  nude 
female  figures  terminating  in  scrolls  of  acanthus  and  vine  leaves, 
lean  against  the  medallion.  Upon  the  outer  scroll  at  either  end 
of  the  panel  sits  an  eagle  looking  toward  the  centre. 

Wood,  carved  in  low  relief,  painted  gray.  Length,  4c)  inches; 
height,  18  inches. 

2.  The  same  composition  with  a  different  central  medallion, 
containing  the  Three  Graces  of  whom  the  one  in  the  centre  turns 
her  back  on  the  spectator  and  places  her  arms  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  other  two. 

Wood,  carved  in  low  relief,  painted  gray.  Length,  41)  inches; 
height,  18  inches. 

FRENCH.  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  1774-170; 


91 


i  I  I- I  12.    TWO  OVER-DOOR  PANELS 

1 .  In  the  centre  a  medallion  containing  the  figure  of  Venus 
sitting  on  a  rock  and  speaking  to  the  young  Cupid  who  holds  an 
arrow  in  his  right  hand.  Two  nude  female  figures  terminating 
in  scrolls  of  acanthus  and  vine  leaves  lean  against  the  medallion. 
Upon  the  outer  scroll  at  either  end  of  the  panel  sits  an  eagle 
looking  toward  the  centre. 

Wood,  carved  in  low  relief,  painted  gray.  Length,  49  inches; 
height,  18  inches. 

2.  The  same  composition  with  different  central  medallion.  It 
contains  the  infant  Cupid  bringing  a  basket  of  fruit  to  Venus  who 
sits  at  the  right  upon  a  rock. 

Wood,  carved  in  low  relief,  painted  gray.  Length,  49  inches; 
height,  18  inches. 

FRENCH,  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  XVI,  1773-1794 


92 


TAPESTRIES 


H3-  TAPESTRY 

Frederick  Barbarossa:  A  knight  in  blue  and  gold  armor,  wearing  a 
jeweled  turban  and  the  imperial  crown  and  carrying  in  his  right 
hand  an  unsheathed  sword,  is  mounted  on  a  white  charger  which 
advances  toward  the  left.  The  knight  has  the  collar  of  an  order 
round  his  neck,  and  wears  on  his  left  arm  a  small  tilting  shield 
inscribed  with  the  double-eagle.  The  horse  is  protected  by  a 
brocaded  surcoat  in  tan  color,  witfi  an  elaborate  border,  and  the 
device  F.  B.  on  a  shield  twice  repeated.  The  bluish  foreground 
is  thickly  strewn  with  flowering  plants,  while  in  the  middle  dis- 
tance of  the  background  are  orange  trees  with  two  large  birds 
in  their  branches.  In  the  far  distance  are  castles  with  red  roofs, 
and  banners  inscribed  "F"  and  "B"  flying  from  the  turrets. 
In  the  upper  right-hand  corner  an  heraldic  shield.  At  the  top 
above  the  knight  is  a  scroll  inscribed  in  Gothic  letters : 

"Vaillant,  hardi,  chevallereux 
Par  ma  proesse  je  conquis  plusieurs  lieux 
Tant  de  citez  je  fondis  en  mon  temps 
Que  les  ro[is  ja]mais  eu  furet  tozoiteus." 

Height,  10  feet  5  inches;  width,  1 1  feet,  1 1  inches. 

BURGUNDIAN,  ABOUT  1460 


94 


I  i  4.  TAPESTRY 

The  Triumph  of  the  Innocents:  Five  great  spotted  giraffes,  in 
pale  tan,  four  of  them  with  long  jeweled  and  belled  collars,  fill 
the  foreground  of  the  tapestry.  On  the  back  and  tied  around  the 
shoulders  of  each  is  fastened  a  heavy  drapery  in  red  or  blue, 
forming  a  palanquin  in  which  are  seated  two  or  three  young 
children,  the  "  Innocents."  Three  bearded  drivers  for  the  giraffes, 
with  elaborate  turbans  and  heavy  staves,  can  be  distinguished 
among  the  press  of  attendants  who  fill  the  tapestry.  In  the  lower 
left-hand  corner  a  turbaned  woman  offers  a  vessel  full  of  milk  to 
the  two  children  mounted  on  the  giraffe  nearest  her.  She  is 
attended  by  a  piper  on  her  left  and  by  an  Ethiopian  drummer  on 
her  right.  Underneath  one  of  the  giraffes  in  the  centre  of  the 
foreground  is  the  head  of  a  chained  and  captive  dragon.  In  the 
right-hand  corner  another  Ethiopian  with  small  drums.  In 
the  middle  distance  at  the  left  an  elephant  ridden  by  a  woman 
holding  two  of  the  Innocents,  in  the  centre  a  pomegranate  tree 
bearing  both  fruit  and  flowers,  and  at  the  right  a  river  with  ships 
and  a  towered  city  beyond.  In  the  remote  distance  at  the  upper 
edge  of  the  tapestry,  hills,  trees  and  castles.  Narrow  modern 
edging  composed  of  three  stripes.  Predominant  colors,  tan,  blue 
and  red. 

Height,  9  feet  8  inches;  length,  12  feet. 
BURGUNDIAN,  ABOUT  1470 


95 


115.  TAPESTRY 

Cavaliers  and  woodcutters:  In  the  middle  a  white  horse  with 
saddle  and  bridle.  By  the  head  of  the  horse  stands  a  page  clad 
in  blue  and  red,  holding  a  sword.  Behind  are  two  men,  one  in 
red  with  a  spear,  and  the  other  in  a  blue  garment  and  red  hat, 
with  a  hunting  horn  which  he  is  blowing.  To  the  left  a  bag- 
piper in  a  red  slashed  costume;  to  the  right  a  peasant  in  tan  and 
blue,  cutting  down  a  tree.  Hilly  country  with  towers  in  the 
background.  In  the  foreground  flowers  and  stumps  of  trees.  A 
hound  by  the  horse's  feet.  An  orange  or  lemon  tree  full  of  fruit 
and  blossoms  behind  the  horse. 

Height,  9  feet  9  inches;  width,  1 1  feet  9  inches. 

BURGUNDIAN,  TOURNAI,  ATELIER  OF  JEAN  GRENIER, 
ABOUT  1 50s 

This  tapestry,  in  all  probability,  is  the  left  half  of  one  in  the  Musee 
des  Arts  Decoratifs  in  Paris,  which  represents  the  lord  of  the 
manor  inspecting  the  work  of  his  woodcutters.  The  master 
stands  in  the  left-hand  corner  of  the  tapestry  talking  with  one  of 
his  workmen,  and  it  seems  likely  that  our  tapestry  continued  the 
design  to  the  left.  The  riderless  horse  would  then  belong  to  the 
master,  whose  page  is  waiting  behind  him  with  his  mount.  The 
style  of  the  two  pieces  is  precisely  the  same.  A.  Warburg  (Zeit- 
schrift fur  bildende  Kunst,  1907)  has  shown  that  the  tapestry  in 
Paris,  and  therefore  ours,  very  likely  belonged  to  the  set  which 
was  ordered  by  Philip  the  Fair  directly  from  Jean  Grenier,  one  of 
the  most  famous  weavers  in  Burgundy. 


i 


I  i  6.  TAPESTRY 

Mythological  subject:  In  the  centre  underneath  a  brocaded  can- 
opy supported  on  four  slender  posts  sits  a  king — Jonathan,  accord- 
ing to  the  legend  in  Gothic  letters  above  his  head.  He  is  clad  in 
tan-colored  brocade  ornamented  with  ermine  and  holds  a  sceptre 
in  his  right  hand.  His  left  is  raised  as  he  addresses  two  women 
and  two  men  who  stand  at  the  right  of  the  throne.  One  of  the 
women,  who  is  dressed  in  blue  and  carries  a  palm,  looks  at  the 
king  as  though  offended  by  his  remarks.  On  the  left  of  the  throne 
stands  Lucrece,  according  to  the  inscription  near  her.  The  train 
of  her  gorgeous  furred  dress,  of  blue  pomegranate-pattern  bro- 
cade, is  held  by  a  young  female  attendant.  Behind  her  are  four 
women,  holding  palms.  In  the  upper  corners  of  the  tapestries 
are  balconies  filled  with  men  and  boys  in  elaborate  hats.  Some 
of  the  boys  stand  on  the  railing  embracing  the  columns.  The 
foreground  is  filled  with  flowers.  General  color  a  soft  light 
golden  brown,  relieved  by  pale  reds  and  blues.  The  border  shows 
grapes  and  roses  against  a  red  background. 

Height,  Q  feet  6  inches;  width,  10  feet,  4  inches. 

FLEMISH,  BRUSSELS,  ABOUT  is  10 

Probably  from  a  cartoon  by  Maitre  Philip  after  a  design  by  Jan 
van  Room. 

From  the  great  similarities  in  style,  this  tapestry  was  probably 
designed  by  the  same  artist  who  conceived  the  celebrated  Her- 
kenbald  Tapestry  in  the  Brussels  Museum,  which  according  to 
documentary  proof  was  the  work  of  Jan  van  Room. 


07 


117.    TAPESTRY  WITH  GOLD  AND  SILVER  THREAD 

Noli  me  Tangere:  The  composition  represents  the  risen  Christ 
and  Saint  Mary  Magdalen  in  the  garden.  Christ  is  standing  to 
the  right  draped  in  a  red  cloak  and  holding  a  spade  in  his  left 
hand,  his  right  raised  as  though  uttering  the  words  "Touch  me 
not."  The  Magdalen  kneels  on  the  left,  her  hands  folded  as  if  in 
prayer.  She  wears  a  rich  costume  with  a  head-dress  of  white  linen 
and  an  enveloping  mantle  of  red  and  silver  brocade  of  Italian  de- 
sign. The  sleeves  and  under-dress  are  of  dark  blue  velvet.  The 
box  of  ointment  stands  between  the  two  figures.  The  background 
shows  the  garden  with  an  orange  tree  in  the  centre  and  a  wattled 
fence  in  the  distance.  Beyond  hills  and  rocks  covered  with  fruit 
trees,  the  towers  of  Jerusalem  can  be  seen  on  the  horizon.  The 
foreground  is  filled  with  flowers  of  many  varieties,  while  the 
border  shows  flowers,  birds  and  leaves  in  a  beautiful  and  free 
design  against  a  dark  blue  background.  Gold  and  silver  in  cos- 
tumes and  in  landscape. 

Height,  7  feet  9  inches;  width,  6  feet  7  inches. 

FLEMISH,  BRUSSELS,  ABOUT  is  10 

The  tapestry  shows  the  highest  development  of  the  art  of  Flemish 
weaving.  It  was  made  at  the  end  of  the  Gothic  period  when  the 
designer  came  under  Italian  influence,  as  is  evident  from  the 
harmonious  simplicity  of  composition  as  well  as  from  the  details, 
the  costume  of  Saint  Mary  Magdalen  being  of  Italian  brocade  and 
the  trees  and  foliage  peculiarly  Southern  in  character.  A  Spanish 
product  is  seen  in  the  box  of  ointment,  a  covered  albarello  of 
Hispano-Moresque  faience. 
Formerly  in  the  Spitzer  Collection. 


98 


RUGS 


I  i  8.    LARGE  RUG  OF  THE  SO-CALLED  ISPAHAN  TYPE 


Field:  On  a  bright  claret  ground,  formal  design  of  palmettes  and 
leaf-forms  chiefly  in  orange,  accented  by  dark  blue,  and  of  cloud- 
bands  in  dark  blue  and  green  and  in  white  and  yellow  outlined 
in  light  blue.  The  slender  connecting  stalks  are  in  white  and 
light  blue. 

Border:  Large  floral  motifs  chiefly  in  orange  and  blue  on  dark 
blue-green. 

Inner  Guard  Band:  Geometrical  design  in  blue  and  orange. 
Outer  Guard  Band:  Floral  design  in  dark  and  light  blue  on  orange. 

Length,  18  feet;  width,  8  feet  3  inches. 

EASTERN  PERSIA,  HERAT,  SECOND  HALF  OF  XVI 
CENTURY 


100 


» 


i  1 9.    RUG    OF    THE    SO-CALLED    ISPAHAN  TYPE 

(ILLUSTRATED) 

Field:  On  a  pale  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes  and  leaf- 
forms  chiefly  in  dark  blue,  accented  by  orange  and  white,  and  of 
cloud-bands  in  rose  color  and  blue  and  in  dark  blue  and  orange. 
The  slender  connecting  stalks  are  in  white  and  light  blue. 
Border:  Peony  flowers  chiefly  in  rose  and  orange  and  in  green 
and  brown  on  dark  blue. 

Inner  Guard  Band:  Undulating  design  of  dark  leaves  on  light 
yellow  ground. 

Outer  Guard  Band:  Floral  design  on  red  ground. 

Length,  13  feet  9  inches;  width,  s  feet  10  inches. 

EASTERN  PERSIA,  HERAT,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CEN- 
TURY 

120.    LARGE  RUG  OF  THE  SO-CALLED  ISPAHAN  TYPE 

Field:  On  a  light  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes  and  leaf- 
forms  chiefly  in  yellow-green,  accented  by  light  blue,  and  cloud- 
bands  in  white  and  green  and  in  white  and  yellow  outlined  in 
green.  The  slender  connecting  stalks  are  in  white  and  light  blue. 
Borders:  Peony  flowers  and  palmettes  chiefly  in  yellow  and  light 
blue  on  dark  blue  ground. 

Inner  Guard  Band:  Conventional  leaf  design  in  yellow  and  dark 
blue  on  white  ground. 

Outer  Guard  Band:  Small  floral  design  in  white,  yellow,  and  blue 
on  red  ground. 

Length,  19  feet  6  inches;  width,  7  feet  10  inches. 

EASTERN  PERSIA,  HERAT.  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CEN- 
TURY 


101 


I  2  I-  I  24.    FOUR  RUGS  OF  THE  SO-CALLED  ISPAHAN 

TYPE 

1.  Field:  On  a  bright  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes 
and  leaf-forms  chiefly  in  yellow-green,  accented  by  orange,  and  in 
dark  blue  and  orange,  and  of  cloud-bands  in  similar  colors. 
Border:  Peony  flowers  and  pomegranates  chiefly  in  green,  orange 
and  red  on  dark  blue-green. 

Length,  7  feet  7  inches;  width,  4  feet  1 1  inches.  (Illustrated). 

2.  Field:  On  a  rosy  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes  and 
leaf-forms  chiefly  in  yellow-green,  yellow  and  white,  and  of  cloud- 
bands  in  dark  blue  and  yellow  and  in  light  blue  and  white. 
Border:  Peony  flowers,  in  yellow  and  red  on  dark  blue-green. 

Length,  6  feet  10  inches;  width,  4  feet  7  inches.  (Illustrated). 

3.  Field:  On  a  soft  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes  and 
leaf-forms  chiefly  dark  blue  and  orange,  accented  by  dark  blue, 
and  of  cloud-bands  in  yellow  and  blue. 

Border:  Peony  flowers  and  palmettes  chiefly  in  yellow  and  red 
on  dark  green. 

Length,  6  feet  8  inches;  width,  4  feet  5  inches. 

4.  Field:  On  a  dull  claret  ground,  design  of  large  palmettes  and 
leaf-forms  chiefly  in  yellow-green,  accented  by  dark  blue,  and  of 
cloud-bands  in  yellow  and  green. 

Border:  Peony  flowers  and  palmettes  chiefly  in  yellow  and  red 
on  dark  blue. 

Length,  6  feet  3  inches;  width,  4  feet  7  inches. 

EASTERN  PERSIA,  HERAT,  FIRST  HALF  OF  XVII  CEN- 
TURY 

102 


I  25.    RUG  WITH  CONVENTIONALIZED  FLOWER  DESIGN 

Field:  On  a  strong  claret  ground,  yellow  trellis  framework  en- 
closing balanced  groups  of  yellowish-white  flowers  with  details  in 
blue  and  pink.  In  the  centre  a  large  conventionalized  flower 
with  four  petals. 

Border:  Design  of  single  large  flowers  alternating  with  groups 
of  four  small  flowers  and  Buddhist  symbols  on  a  claret  ground. 
White  guard  bands  with  running  flower  pattern. 

Length,  15  feet  8  inches;  width,  12  feet  2  inches. 

Said  to  have  come  from  a  Mandarin  in  the  northern  part  of  China. 

INDIA,  IMPERIAL  MANUFACTORY,  ABOUT  16^0 


TEXTILES 
AND 
EMBROIDERIES 


126.  VELVET  BROCADE  (ILLUSTRATED) 

One  section  of  a  great  climbing  pattern,  based  on  the  pomegran- 
ate and  the  pink.  Alternating  concave  and  convex  bands  covered 
at  their  intersections  by  a  large  pomegranate  device  above  and 
two  similar  devices,  reduced  in  size,  below.  Pattern  in  red  velvet 
on  a  gold  brocade  ground.    Edged  with  galloon. 

Length,  38  inches;  width,  23  inches. 

ITALIAN,  VENETIAN,  XV  CENTURY 

127.  COVER  IN  VELVET  BROCADE 

Three  strips  of  a  great  climbing  pattern  based  on  the  pomegran- 
ate, in  red  velvet  against  a  gold  background.  The  whole  edged 
with  galloon. 

Length,  9  feet  8  inches;  width,  5  feet  5  inches. 
ITALIAN.  VENETIAN.  XV  CENTURY 


106 


12  8.    VELVET  COPE 


Green  velvet,  brocaded  in  a  fine  pattern  derived  from  the  form  of 
the  pomegranate.  The  orphreys,  embroidered  in  gold  and  colors, 
are  divided  into  six  rectangular  panels,  each  of  which  originally 
contained  the  figure  of  a  saint  standing  in  a  simple  early  Re- 
naissance niche  with  a  round  arched  top. 

Length,  9  feet  8  inches;  width,  4  feet  5  inches. 

ITALIAN,  XV  CENTURY 


107 


129.    VELVET  COPE 

Plain  red  velvet,  with  embroidered  orphreys  and  hood,  in  gold 
and  colors.  The  orphreys  are  divided  into  eight  panels  contain- 
ing Renaissance  ornament,  each  surrounded  by  a  band  of  galloon. 
In  the  centre  of  each  panel  a  circular  medallion  containing  the 
half-length  figure  of  an  apostle.  The  hood  shows  a  mitred  bishop 
sitting  enthroned  against  a  gold  background.  The  hood  is  edged 
with  galloon  and  gold  fringe.  The  bottom  of  the  cope  is  bound 
with  galloon. 

Length,  9  feet  6  inches;  width,  4  feet  6  inches. 
ITALIAN,  XVI  CENTURY 


130.    COVER  IN  GREEN  VELVET  AND  EMBROIDERY 

Background  of  old  green  velvet  with  strips  and  edging  of  galloon. 
Down  the  centre  a  piece  of  embroidery  in  gold  and  color  on  a 
red  background.  In  the  centre  two  circular  medallions  contain- 
ing figures  of  a  male  and  a  female  saint. 

Length,  8  feet  4  inches;  width,  1  foot  8  inches. 

ITALIAN,  SECOND  HALF  OF  XVI  CENTURY 


109 


131.    ALTAR  FRONTAL 

Dark  red  velvet  embroidered  in  gold  and  colors.  Four  panels 
divided  by  columns.  Each  panel  consists  of  an  oval  surrounded 
by  strap-work.  First  oval,  the  Virgin  holding  the  Christ  Child; 
second  oval,  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Sebastian;  third  oval,  the 
Virgin  enthroned  surrounded  by  saints  and  angels;  fourth  oval, 
St.  Roch  with  an  angel.    Border  of  a  running  floral  design. 

Length,  5  feet  3  inches;  width,  2  feet. 

ITALIAN,  MIDDLE  OF  XVI  CENTURY 


1 10 


I  32.    TABLE  COVER  (ILLUSTRATED) 

Crimson  velvet  embroidered  all  over  with  a  foliated  pattern  in 
gold,  showing  conventionalized  lilies,  roses  and  other  flowers. 
Edged  with  galloon  and  deep  gold  fringe. 

Length,  72  inches;  width,  48  inches. 

ITALIAN,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

133.    TABLE  COVER 

Similar  to  preceding,  but  narrower,  and  without  the  edging  of 
galloon  and  gold  fringe. 

Length,  69  inches;  width,  48  inches. 

ITALIAN,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 


1 1 1 


134-    ECCLESIASTICAL  BANNER 

Straight  top  and  sides  cut  into  two  long  triangular  points  below. 
Red  velvet,  much  worn,  embroidered  in  gold.  In  the  upper  part 
a  cartouche  worked  with  the  coat-of-arms  of  a  cardinal.  Tassels 
on  the  points  and  at  the  ends  of  the  supporting  rod. 

Length,  80  inches;  width,  40  inches. 

SPANISH,  XVIII  CENTURY 

135.  COPE  HOOD 

The  last  judgment:  At  the  top  an  arcade  of  three  Gothic  arches 
under  which  at  either  side  is  a  trumpeting  angel,  and  in  the 
centre  Christ  sitting  in  judgment  with  the  Virgin  kneeling  in 
adoration  on  his  right  and  Saint  John  on  his  left.  In  the  fore- 
ground the  Archangel  summoning  the  dead,  who  rise  on  all 
sides.  Embroidered  in  colored  silk  and  gold  on  a  linen  ground. 
Edged  with  galloon  and  a  deep  gold  fringe. 

Length,  20  inches;  width,  17  inches. 

ITALIAN,  XV  CENTURY 

136.  ECCLESIASTICAL  BANNER 

Straight  top  and  sides  cut  into  two  long  triangular  points  below. 
Blue-green  velvet,  embroidered  in  silver.  In  the  upper  part  a 
small  cartouche  set  in  an  elaborate  border,  and  surmounted  by 
a  crown  worked  on  red  velvet,  and  supported  by  two  flying 
cherubim.  Two  smaller  cartouches  on  the  points  showing 
ecclesiastical  devices.  Tassels  on  the  points  and  at  the  ends  of 
the  supporting  rod. 

Length,  92  inches;  width,  41  inches. 

SPANISH,  ABOUT  1700 

1 12 


9 


137-    ECCLESIASTICAL  BANNER 

Straight  top  and  sides  cut  into  two  long  triangular  points  below. 
Red  velvet,  embroidered  in  gold  and  color.  In  the  upper  part  an 
elaborate  cartouche  showing  two  cherubim  holding  a  chalice  with 
the  sacred  wafer.  Tassels  on  the  points  and  at  the  ends  of  the 
supporting  rod. 

Length,  72  inches;  width,  36  inches. 
SPANISH,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 

138.  ECCLESIASTICAL  BANNER 

Straight  top  and  sides  cut  into  two  long  triangular  points  below. 
Green  velvet,  embroidered  in  silver.  In  the  upper  part  a  car- 
touche of  blue  velvet  worked  with  the  coat-of-arms  of  a  cardinal. 
Tassels  on  the  points  and  at  the  ends  of  the  supporting  rod. 

Length,  81  inches;  width,  41  inches. 

SPANISH,  ABOUT  1700 

139.  ECCLESIASTICAL  BANNER 

Straight  top  and  sides  cut  into  two  long  triangular  points  below. 
Red  velvet  embroidered  in  gold  and  color.  In  the  upper  part  an 
elaborate  cartouche  showing  St.  Michael.  Tassels  on  the  points 
and  at  the  ends  of  the  supporting  rod. 

Length,  79  inches;  width,  33  inches. 

SPANISH,  LATE  XVI  CENTURY 


1 1 3 


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Goldsmith's  Jrk  ;  cera^-fa  nSe   1£sM   ■  ZJ^Xif!^  ?/™?  W  Fre"ch  m'lP'^ 


